Silent Duet
by Converse r life
Summary: Harmony is embarking on yet another adventure in her young life, but this time she's not alone. Her best friend Emma, or 'sister' is stuck to Harmony like glue...but can Harmony's family accept her, or will the girls friendship be pulled apart? Sequel!
1. Chapter 1

"I swear to God, if you don't hurry up I'll go without you." An annoyed voice said, a hint of teasing to it as the said owner of the voice crossed their arms over their chest and tried to stare menacingly at the screen in the room.

"I'm going!" Came the muffled reply, as the other person in the room struggled with the strings on her bikini top. Finally sighing, she came out of behind the screen, a sheepish look on her face as the only thing holding up her top were her hands.

"And you say I'm stupid..." Emma snorted, as Harmony let out a small laugh as her friend came behind her and expertly tied the strings of her 'sister's' bathing suit top tightly so that it didn't fall off in the water.

"Here." Harmony said, stepping away from her best friend as she tossed the girl one of her own cover-ups, for now at least, so that they didn't have to walk through the palace wearing only bikini tops. It was bad enough the looks they got from wearing short shorts, even though it was the middle of spring, which meant that it was heating up, _fast_.

"I don't know why you even bother Yuki. It's not like what they think matters." Emma reminded, but pulled on the loose tee anyway, as Harmony did the same. Running her fingers through her red bangs, Harmony leaned down a second to examine her face in the mirror.

"I hope this waterproof stuff works." Harmony muttered to her friend as she looked closely at her eye in the mirror, whose tinkling laugh could be heard in the dressing room because she was purposefully ignoring the teasing jab.

"If the bottle says 'waterproof' than it must be true." Emma said sincerely, as Harmony turned around and grinned at her, shaking her knotted red bangs out of her face.

"Right. Just like the time that box said that the 'super ball can bounce to the moon'. It never bounced higher than a normal bouncy ball." Harmony said, with a roll of her eyes, as her friend laughed and shook out her own hair as Harmony smoothed out her two braids.

She'd grown accustomed to wearing her hair like this nowadays, since her mother always kept her hair loose, and Melody kept her hair in a pony tail. Well, Harmony just kept her hair in two low braids.

"We were like in what, the sixth grade when that happened?" Emma snorted, as she tucked her blonde hair behind her ears, because it was impossible to pull it back into a pony tail, since it only reached to a little above her shoulders. "You need to seriously get over that, _and _I want to go to the beach already, so come on." Emma said, as she pulled at her 'sister's' arm, and the girl reluctantly started moving.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that I want to go the beach, considering this is _my _home?" Harmony teased lightly, as her best friend laughed, linking arms with her as the girls walked through the palace halls easily.

Harmony had broken down and told her best friend all about what had happened in her life, and so far, Emma had been the most supportive. Never pushing, never asking, and always switching the subjects so that things weren't so uncomfortable for her friend, the girl treated Harmony like she'd always treated her; as a sister. They were closer than her and Melody anyway. And since then...well, Emma had just become like part of the family. Well, at least Harmony's idea of family that is.

The girl knew without a doubt that her real family didn't totally approve of an outsider knowing so much about what had happened, and she also knew they weren't so happy that she got along better with Emma than Melody. But how could she not? While Melody might be her twin, the girl still treated her with hesitance, not like Emma who could care less if Harmony had three eyes and webbed hands; she would still treat her the same way.

"That's like asking me to be normal. Ew." Emma gave a mock shudder and grinned as she was playfully pushed by Harmony.

Emma had stayed over for dinner before, even slept over the palace with Harmony....but she never felt totally comfortable. It was as if every time she and Harmony shared a laugh over something, the rest of her family's eyes got suddenly colder, and their smiles to her seemed more forced....as though they didn't like her.

Shaking her short hair away, she scolded herself mentally for thinking such things. Sure they like you, her mind chastised, it's just that with everything that's happened to Kat, they probably feel awkward knowing that you know it. Still, a tiny voice in the back of Emma's mind said, it's kind of scary.

"Why oh why was I cursed with a un-normal sister?" Harmony asked, looking up at the ceiling, trying hard not to laugh, as she pulled Emma out of her thoughts. Sister. Emma was her sister from another mister, it was that simple.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're not exactly the epitome of normal, considering the first four letters of your name are 'harm'." Emma said with an easy laugh, as her and Harmony pushed open the doors that led to the beach. Ah, the beach. The one thing Harmony loved to sketch...but swimming was an entire different thing.

"I couldn't look in the mirror if I wanted to." Harmony mock sniffed, as if she was offended by such a thing as Emma giggled. "You broke them all with your ugly face!" Harmony laughed, as she started to run down the steps, and onto the sand, Emma shouting at her on her heels.

"Your so dead!" Emma said, as she managed to grab the back of Harmony's loose tee shirt, and pull her to the sand with her. Both girls only looked at each other for a moment, before erupting in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, both of them not knowing why exactly they were laughing, but not caring either way.


	2. Chapter 2

When the girls finally stopped laughing, and managed to brush away their tears, they quickly shed their shirts and jumped into the cool sea water. A little far off from the shore, Harmony's Aunts and Mother were relaxing on some rocks, talking to each other as they watched the children play together. And that's when Harmony had an idea.

Putting her finger to her grinning lips, she skillfully swam through the water, barely making a noise as Emma followed close behind, her hand covering her mouth to keep from giggling at her best friend's face. Choosing not to say a word to the girl, Emma kept her lips pressed tightly together, and her hand covering her mouth to make sure that Harmony had no idea how her face looked.

Harmony stealthily swam behind the rocks where her Mother and Aunts were. Her nose and eyes protruded from the water, as her braids were slowly coming undone as they curled around her face. Her eyes stared at her target, her mother, as she slowly let her lips mouth the words under the water, and a slow wave started forming. The wave started to get bigger, and bigger, till it was nearly towering over her mother. With a silent smirk, Harmony brought her mouth out of the water so she could whisper the final word that would send a wave of water onto her mother.

"_Splancscái_---" Harmony didn't get to send the towering wave onto her mother, as it was that exact moment that her arm was grasped tightly, and she was dragged onto the rocks.

"Did you _really_ think I didn't notice a giant wave over my head?" Ariel asked in an almost teasing tone, as her sisters laughed at Harmony's frown. The girl looked up at her mother's blue eyes and shrugged, as Ariel smiled and shook her head at her daughter.

"Oh Harmony!" Arista squealed, as she pulled her niece in for a hug. "You're so big! You grew!" She laughed, and Harmony didn't even get to talk as she was pulled in for another hug next.

"Are you still playing sports Harmony?" Aquata asked with a smile, hugging her niece who in turn tried to keep breathing from how hard she was being squeezed. But then she was passed off to yet another Aunt, who gave her an appraising look before hugging her.

"Your make-up is dripping honey." Alana whispered into her niece's ear with a laugh, as the girl quickly brought her hand up to her eye so that her new little present curtsey of Jeremy didn't show.

"Any boyfriend yet?" Adella wondered, as she hugged her niece tightly, and the girl grinned and shook her head, giggling as though she was still a little girl.

"I bet all the boys are too afraid to look at her." Andrina teased, as Harmony rolled her eyes but was hugged anyway by her Aunt. Then, she was passed off one more time, to her last Aunt.

"Don't listen to her Harmony." Attina said with a smile, kissing her niece's red hair as she hugged the girl. "She's just off in her own little world." With that Attina shot her niece a goofy look, as Harmony giggled, and Andrina playfully pushed her sister.

"How was school?" Ariel asked in a motherly tone, as she sat finally got to sit Harmony in front of her as the girl had been greeted by all her aunts already, and began undoing the girl's messed up braids.

"Lemme see..." Harmony said as she stared off into space for a moment, before coming back down onto earth. "I got yelled at during math for sleeping, I got a detention for...and I totally bombed my science test. So it was a pretty good day." Harmony said, sincerity ringing off her words as her Aunts exchanged smiles, instantly reminded of Ariel, who in turn frowned as she undid her daughter's first sopping wet braid.

"Why did you get a detention?" Andrina asked curiously, as she suspiciously looked at her oldest niece. The girl shrugged, not offering any words as to why she got a detention, but a laugh nearby made everyone turn their heads in the direction of...Emma.

"Oh shut up." Harmony said to the girl with narrowed eyes that were warning not to spill how she'd gotten a detention, as Emma in turn only took in a deep breath and tried hard not to laugh anymore.

"I wasn't going to say anything, _Yuki_." Emma teased with a huge smile as Harmony groaned at the nickname. Even when Emma hadn't known about what had happened, she'd still given that nickname to Harmony, as an irony joke.

"Yu-ki?" Arista questioned, sounding out the name slowly as she was not familiar with it. Looking at her human sister in confusion, she was met with the exact same gaze as Ariel only shrugged and inclined her head to the girls.

"It's Japanese for gentle princess. I think it fits." Emma said, as she clutched her stomach and started laughing uncontrollably. Harmony's Aunts chuckled at the name, and even Ariel couldn't resist a smile as Harmony groaned again, this time the only thing holding her back from killing Emma was her mother messing with her hair. Still, she had to try.

"You are so _dead_!" Harmony yelled, as she lunged at Emma who only grinned and ducked under the water. Harmony didn't get very far though, as her mother had a fair grip on her hair and as she tried to lunge at Emma, she was pulled back by her hair.

"Ow!" Harmony complained, as she sorely rubbed the spot where her hair had been pulled. It almost hurt as much as when....no, don't think about that. It's alright Kat, her mind said, it's alright. Just don't remember. Don't think, forget. Don't remember. Don't....

"That's what you get for trying to kill someone." Ariel chastised in a disapproving tone, finally unbraiding Harmony's other braid. The girl's sopping red head fell down her bare back with tangles all in it, as Ariel tried to smooth it out as best she could with her fingers.

She still didn't approve of her daughter showing so much skin to go swimming, but the last time she'd argued this, her daughter had brought up the fact that Ariel herself wore shell bikini's when she was a mermaid, so why not let Harmony wear a normal bikini when she was human? And then the question of her legs, well, it just wasn't proper to show that much leg! But again, when Ariel had brought this up, her daughter had just shaken it away, saying that it was her body and she could wear whatever she wanted, as long she covered up the areas of herself that needed covering.

"What's on your face Harmony?" Aquata wondered, as she titled her head at her niece. It was like a patch of the girl's skin that was running....as though she was wearing something over it...

"Don't!" Harmony's frantic voice said, but it was too late. Her Aunt wiped off the makeup on her eye to reveal...her nasty looking black eye. Her Aunts took in a breath at the swollen eye, as Ariel gasped in shock, frowning as she turned Harmony to face her, as her gentle fingers started to prod the wound.

"Where on earth did you get this?" Ariel wondered, as her slender fingers traced the black eye. Harmony tried pulling away but her mother's death grip on her prevented her from going anywhere, as her Aunts sympathetically started to murmur to her.

"There was a fight at school." Harmony said softly, as Ariel's grip on the girl's arm became so tight now that it was hurting. That was going to leave a bruise, her mind said. Actually, it would leave yet _another_ bruise.

"Ariel, you're hurting her!" Attina's voice swept in, brushing her sister's hand off of her niece's wrist. She got a thankful look from the girl, as she gave her a wink in its place.

"Who did you get into a fight with?" Aquata asked in a curious tone, her tone light as she tried to save Harmony from her mother's probably frantic questioning, because Aquata knew that if this was her own daughter instead of Harmony, she'd be just as frantic for answers.

"Jeremy." Harmony said, as Adella frowned at the name of a boy.

"You got in a fight with a boy? You know, hate is just another form of lo-ove...." Adella said in a sing song voice, as she was met with a disgusted 'ew' from her niece. She gave a chuckle at that, before turning back to the girl with a waiting expression.

"I only did it because he kept saying it, over and over, and over....and I just snapped. Stupid Jeremy...but at least I won." Harmony said with a small victory grin, as her Aunts laughed lightly, the mood once again returning to light.

"Saying what honey?" Ariel wondered, as she hugged her daughter against her for a moment, and the girl quickly fixed her eyesight on the children who were all playing and paying absolutely no attention to her.

"Kept saying stuff about...." Don't cry Harmony, don't cry.

"About Ryan."

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**Oh god, that's sad. ;*(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( mega tears! **

**The title of this chapter is all me, sorry. Next chapter will have someone's title name turned into a chapter name though! **

**xJadeRainx you REALLY NEED TO UPDATE! I"M FREAKING OUT HERE! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE?! **

**REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! **

***aslo, if you get bored, feel free to check out my other stories that aren't part of this series. Don't read No Ocean's Too Wide though. Please, don't read it. It's really bad because it was when I was just first starting to write, and I need to take it out of fanfiction site! GAH! IT's awful, I swear. Don't read it! BUt you can read Beached or You Can Kid The World but Not Your Sister. Those aren't so bad, like my first one was. *shudders* i'm going to take that off now so none of you are even tempted to read it!**

**REVEIW THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

The adults were finally silent, as they knew that name. Tucking her daughter's head under her chin, Ariel sighed as she held onto Harmony tightly, not letting go, at least, for now. It was completely silent, as everyone waited for Harmony to burst into tears. But she was a big girl. She wouldn't cry in front of her Aunts, no, only in her pillow and to Emma, who could care less.

"Harmony, I'm so sorry." Attina's voice broke the air, as she placed a gentle hand on her niece. The girl said nothing, just looked down at her feet which were swinging of the edge of the rock.

"Yeah." The girl said softly, disentangling herself away from her mother. "So am I." She said in a voice that could have been the wind for it was so low.

Then, without warning, something cold and slimy was thrown at her face, some of it ricocheting off of her and onto the adults. The muck slowly slid down Harmony's face as she let it fall in her hand. Mud. Looking up, she saw Emma there in front of her, the water up to her chest. The girl gave her a triumphant look, but Harmony knew the real reason she'd done it. And she shot the girl a grateful look, before yelling at the top of her lungs.

"You are dead!" And jumping into the cool water, as Emma shrieked and swam as fast as she could so that Harmony couldn't kill her.

"Who's her friend?" Aquata asked her youngest sister, glancing at the girl who'd just thrown mud at Harmony, though the girl had seemed as though she didn't care one bit.

"Emma." Ariel said in a cool voice, as her sisters heads immediately turned to her for an update on why she was so icy when she thought of this girl. Sighing, Ariel started, as she kept her eyes locked on her daughter and the blonde haired girl she was 'hanging out' with.

"Harmony's best friend, they consider themselves sisters, though they obviously aren't." Of course they weren't. Melody was Harmony's sister, not 'Emma', Ariel's mind filled in. "Harmony told her about....everything, and the girls have been inseparable since then." Ariel tried not to growl out the last words, but just barely as she felt the anger boil inside her.

"That doesn't seem too bad." Attina filled in, as Ariel sighed, and shook her head, blue eyes looking at her sisters' variety of eye colors.

"I know it shouldn't be a problem...but Harmony barely even talks to her own real sister, instead she opts for some stranger. I just wish she and Melody could get along better, and it's never going to happen if 'Emma' is always there." Ariel sighed deeply, as she felt Arista link arms with her silently, a small move saying that she was there for her sister.

"Maybe it's a boy thing and she doesn't want Melody telling you about it." Adella said with a conspirital wink and laugh to lighten up her youngest sister's spirits. Ariel gave a small laugh back, and shook her head, though her laugh sounded a bit forced.

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**Short chapter, I know, but this had orginally been one chapter with the next one, but I thought it was too long. REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Hide me!" A small voice said, as a small body and tail quickly hid behind Harmony and Emma, who were currently sitting on some rocks laughing as they reminisced. The girls looked up at each other with confusion.

"Oh Serene-y!" A young boy's voice called, as he swam over to where Emma and Harmony were, followed by a group of merchildren, and Melody.

"Serene-y!" Another boy's voice called, though when Harmony looked at him he seemed to be about twelve. All together, there were five mergirls who were all under the age of thirteen, and four young boys that seemed to be searching for a certain child.

"Hey! Have you two seen Serene?" Harmony immediately recognized Coral's voice say, a silent smirk on the edge of her words. Who was Serene, Harmony silently mused, as then it dawned on her that it must be the young mergirl hiding behind her back, gripping her bikini tightly.

"Serene...Serene...nope. Don't know anyone named Serene. You Em?" Harmony asked as she felt the girl behind her relax a little and loosen her grip on Harmony's bikini top.

"Don't we have a Serene in math class? And isn't she a total bit--I mean, mean girl?" Emma quickly revised what she was going to say, seeing as how the youngest child looking at her and Harmony was about eight years of age, and a boy.

"No, that's _Serena_." Harmony corrected, rolling her eyes at the strange pronunciation of the name. "I have like four classes with her this year, ugh, it's so annoying. I wish I could just say a spell and she'd disappear forever, but nooo. I'm not allowed to use my powers in school." Harmony said with another eye roll, as all the merchildren, including the one behind her gasped as they realized who this girl was.

"Y-Your Harmony." A girl perhaps nine years old said, gawking at her cousin. "Y-You're the witch grandfather keeps talking to our parents about!" She said in a whisper of a voice, as Harmony unintentionally winced. She didn't like the sound of people talking about her.

"You say it like it's something to be scared of." Harmony said bitterly, folding her knees up against her chest. Emma gave her a sorry smile, but didn't offer any words of comfort, knowing that they'd be useless against Harmony.

"Well...didn't you kill Morgana...and that other sea witch, what's-her-name?" The twelve year old boy said wisely as Coral rolled her green eyes at her cousins, before resting her elbows on the rocks.

"Forget them Harmony, they're all missing quite a few brain cells." Coral stated with a snort, as Melody laughed amongst the groans and protests of the bunch.

"She's your cousin too you guys, just like me." Melody said with a smile to her sister, whose shoulders only sagged lower as she buried her head into her lap, not willing to look up.

"Then who's she?" A small voice piped up, the voice belonging to a ten year old looking mermaid as she pointed at Emma. The girl grimaced a moment, before smoothing out her features to make it seem she didn't care.

"Emma. I'm Emma, this one's best friend." Emma said, tossing an elbow into Harmony's ribs purposely to drive the point home that she didn't like this one bit. It felt awkward being surrounded by a family she didn't really belong to.

"I'm Jessie." The ten year old mermaid stated matter of factly, crossing her arms and regarding the girls with a mixture of awe and fear. The girl was a witch, _and_ she was fourteen!

"I'm Cori." The twelve year old boy stated, his green eyes locked with his sister's as they tried to stare each other down. Only a year apart in age, Coral and Cori were usually the ones getting in the most trouble, since they were the oldest and should've known better.

"Nina." The small nine year old mermaid's voice said, well, more squeaked out as she tried to keep her cousin's from fighting. Being Aquata's daughter, she was unlike her mother in every way. She was extremely shy, and hardly spoke if she didn't need to.

"Ashton." The eight year old merboy stated, with no small amount of pride on his part. As Arista's young son, he prided himself with the knowledge that Serene, Andrina's five year old daughter and his cousin, was born so he could torture her daily.

The rest of the names slowly poured out, as Harmony politely listened, before sending them all away, saying that her and Emma had 'girl stuff to talk about, _important _girl stuff'. Though, it didn't go unnoticed by her when Melody scowled at Emma.

"You can come out now." Emma's soft voice said, trying to take the look of Melody's face from her mind's view out. The girl hated her, the entire family hated her...but she had to pretend it was all well, for Harmony's sake, her mind said, as she saw a flash of dirty blonde hair picked up with a pear hair tie poke out and then slowly the mergirl came into view.

"Are you a good witch, or bad witch? Because my mommy said that there were good witches and bad witches." The little girl stated, her high pitched voice almost whistling through her missing teeth.

Harmony was silent, as she mulled the girl's question in her mind. The obvious answer would be that she was a good witch...but was she really? She'd done terrible thigns with her powers....and then tried to bring good things with them too. Maybe...maybe a small white lie wouldn't matter.

"Good witch, definitely." Harmony stated, as the little girl broke into a huge grin and hugged her cousin with warmth that a five year old with limited knowledge could offer.

"I like you then." Serene said, her eyes full of innocence and her grin happy, as Harmony smiled back along with Emma, though both girls knew at once that each other's smiles were fake.

But they said not a word about it.

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**Alright, this is going to slowly kill me, but to use Serene I had to do it. *Ahem* **

**Serene was created by none other than xJadeRainx, the Supreme Governess of the world, I bow to her superior literary genious. **

**I REALLY don't agree with ANY of that, but, you know, kind of had to do it if i wanted to use Serene! Alrighty, so....REVIEW! xJadeRainx POST UP QUICKER! And the rest of you, don't die! **

**The title of this chapter comes from, *drumroll* Hailstorm, with Broken Harmony. Congrats! **


	5. Chapter 5

"Mom, I'm sleeping over Em's tonight, 'k?" Harmony poked her head into the sitting room where she knew her parents were relaxing, since it already sunset. Harmony still hadn't bathed off all of the mud on her; she'd been planning to do it later, like the procrastinator that she is.

"Actually sweetheart, your father and I wanted you to stay here with us this weekend. _Alone_." Ariel's gentle voice said, emphasizing the word alone so that Harmony knew her little friend was really welcomed right now. It's not that Ariel had anything personal against Emma, really the girl was polite and made her daughter happy....but she just wished that Harmony and Melody could have that type of relationship.

Harmony was about to question why she had to send her best friend back home and not sleep over like she usually did, when she finally heard the emphasis on the word 'alone'...almost as if her mother didn't _like_ Emma!

"Fine." Harmony said as her shoulders sagged in defeat and she took her head out from the door to relay the bad news to her friend.

"I wish she wasn't so disappointed in the fact she can't have a sleep over with her friend." Ariel said, as she rested her red head against one of Eric's strong shoulders. He gave her a lazy grin, before tucking a strand of her bright red hair beneath her ear.

"I think we have bigger problems than that right now love. Like, how we're going to tell her tomorrow's the Evergreen Ball." Eric stated in a low voice, just in case his daughter was near. After what happened at her last two balls....well, she might not be so willing to join society once again.

"Might as well tell her now so we don't forget." Ariel murmured, closing her eyes and making no move to remove her head off of Eric's shoulder.

"Why don't you tell go tell her?" Eric said in a gentle hum of a voice, as Ariel looked up at him as though he were crazy. "Your better with our _girls_ than I am Ariel, you know that. Besides, one of us has to attend to the matters of state." Eric sighed, wishing he didn't have to go and be King in a few minutes. But duty called, and he had to, no matter how much he ached to just have one day where he could relax with his wife.

"Something tells me I got the raw end of the deal." Ariel said with a small smile to her husband to show that she was just teasing him. Eric smiled back, showing his dimples in the process as Ariel and he still made no attempt to break off from their spots in the sitting room.

"Come on Ariel." Eric finally said, breaking his gaze from her eyes away and standing up. Extending a hand to his wife who was looking shrewdly up at him, she took it anyway and sighed.

"I'll see you at dinner." Ariel said with another sigh, kissing his cheek lightly before walking off in the direction of her daughter's room. Eric watched her walk off for a moment, touching his cheek where she'd left her kiss for a moment, before smiling and walking to the throne room.

"Harmony? Sweetie, are you in here?" Ariel called into the library first, and after hearing no answer to her calls, she walked into the room. She knew it defeated the purpose of the calls, but she had called into the library before and her daughter had been so absorbed in a book she hadn't heard, leaving Ariel in a state of distress as to where the girl might be.

"What book is that?" Ariel asked softly, as she found her daughter curled up on one of the couches, her bare legs curled next to her as her eyes moved from word to word. Startled, the girl dropped her book, and looked up at her mother with wide blue eyes.

"Mom! You scared me!" Harmony said with a small grin, as she bent down to pick up her book. Great, she'd lost her place. Randomly flipping through the pages to find the one she was on, she could just feel her mother's eyes looking her up to down.

"Why haven't you bathed yet?" Ariel wondered in a slightly annoyed voice as she saw there was still dried up mud in her daughter's hair. Oh that was going to be fun to scrub out, she thought sarcastically to herself. Thank you Emma for making more work for me, she growled in her head, though outside she remained perfectly innocent.

Harmony had made it clear that her friend was as much part of her life as her parents were, and in that way they had to treat her with respect else Harmony would get angry. Not that Ariel feared her daughter's anger, it's just that she rather not have to deal with it.

"I was going to but I went over to Emma's, and we started messing around---" Harmony's excuse was short lived as she saw the pinched and pained look on her mother's face. "What?" She asked innocently enough, as her mother suddenly smoothed out her features so that it seemed she'd never been...well, angry.

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**Alrighty, so i know most of you are probably mad that i haven't posted anything in about two days, but I have a good excuse. For some reason, everytime I tried to download my stories onto the sight like i've always done, it refused to let me! I don't know what the difference was today, but i'm glad because I know that everyone has probably been wanting to read more! **

**Hmmm....well, now that i am once again back on fanfiction, it seems I have to start reviewing again. Hmmmm.....can i just do a once over of all the stories? Sucks, sucks worse, hate. There. My once over. **

**No, i'm just kidding with you guys, don't worry! I'll actually review all your stories because I LOVE them ALL and I can't wait till you update! GAH! CAN"T WAIT! GOING SLOWLY INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **

**.....that last sentence may hold some truth to it, eh Bob? **

***Bob is my imaginary friend***


	6. Chapter 6

"Nothing honey." Ariel chirped in an overly happy voice, knowing full well that if her daughter fell for her voice, the girl was really not paying attention. She'd been over at her friend's, and Ariel hadn't known a thing! What if she'd gotten hurt? What would have happened then?!

It's bad enough her daughter was refusing to be tutored for the rest of the year, saying that she wanted to finish out her freshmen year so she could remember it. That meant from 7:30 and 3:30 on weekdays she had no idea if her daughter was safe or not. She had no way of contacting the girl to make sure everything was alright...it was a horrible feeling to know that you were so close, and yet so far at the same time.

"Come on; let's get you cleaned up before dinner." Ariel said finally, shaking off those thoughts from her mind as she grabbed the girl's arm and started to drag her. The girl initially resisted, but when she found there was no point in getting out of her mother's grasp, she sighed and let herself be dragged along.

"You do realize you don't have to drag me, right?" Harmony's voice asked, as her mother snorted and rolled her eyes, but all the same loosened her grip on her daughter's hand.

"Please, I wasn't born yesterday you know." Ariel said with a small laugh, pushing her daughter into the bathroom and closing the doors behind her. Harmony muttered something under her breathe, something her mother couldn't quite hear, but let herself be scrubbed down (which was very painful) by her mother until 'she was shining'.

"You know, Harmony, there's the Evergreen Ball tomorrow...." Ariel let that thought trail off as she saw her daughter glance up at her mother's reflection in the mirror, before shrugging it off. Ariel gently brushed out her daughter's red hair, making sure to take out all the knots that had hidden themselves away in her hair.

"I'll be at Em's tomorrow night, far away from the palace, don't worry." Harmony promised, with actually no sarcasm in her voice. Of course there'd been balls in the two months since....everything, but Harmony usually stayed far away from them, sleeping over a friend's, or hiding herself away in the library.

"Actually....your father and I were hoping you'd come to this ball." Ariel said almost in passing as though it didn't mean a thing. But it did, and Harmony whirled around in her vanity chair to face her mother with wide angry eyes.

"I'm. Not. Going." She said evenly in a tone that hinted that if her mother didn't agree her dressing room would soon be on fire. But Ariel refused to bring this to that point, as she made her daughter turn back around so that she could brush out her red hair.

"Harmony, it's been two months since....well, what happened. I think you should go....everyone is probably sorry for what they did." Ariel said gently, but her daughter only stared hard at her reflection the mirror.

"They didn't seem very sorry when they were pushing me around." The girl hissed in a venomous tone. "I don't want to go to a ball where I know that the only two possibilities are everything goes wrong and I end up crying, or everything goes right and I still cry because it's so awkward. People....they just don't like me Mom. Let Melody go out, she's their princess...but I'm just, well.....the witch." Harmony said in a softer, sadder tone, as she sighed, trying to swallow that lump in her throat.

"Sweetheart...." Ariel giving her daughter's shoulders a comforting squeeze, but she knew the girl spoke the truth. Still, as a mother, her job was to give little white lies if it comforted her daughter. "Just try and you'll see everything will turn up better."

"I've tried before Mom...and nothing ever turns out right when you try. It's better if I just become the other princess, the one no one remembers." Harmony said with a sigh, knowing all too well her words were the truth. Oh how she ached for things to be different! How she wanted to have a life again, to be able to complain that her biggest problem was her iPod not working!

"Well you can't just stay in the castle your whole life. It's your duty as a princess to at least show up to _one_ ball a year." Ariel stated wisely, but Harmony only rolled her blue eyes.

"Wanna bet? I refuse to go to any ball." Harmony's acid tone said, as Ariel sighed, and put down the brush as she let her fingers smooth through the thick hair of her daughter.

"Please honey? This one won't go so bad, I promise." Ariel pleaded with the teen, who only shook her head forcefully. Feeling a bit annoyed by it, Ariel finally spat out "What are you so afraid of?"

Harmony only regarded her mother with cool, sad eyes as she drummed her fingers against the vanity, and stared hard at the girl in the mirror. That girl was so pretty, she'd be one of the girls you'd see walking down the street and you'd say 'she probably has no problems other than what nail polish would match her hair better'.

"I'm afraid of....failure."

"Failure?" Ariel drawled out slowly, not understanding the fear. And how could she? She'd never failed at something she really had tried hard at...well, except establishing a good relationship with Harmony, but that was beside the point.

"Forget it. You wouldn't understand." Harmony said with a sigh, shaking her red locks away from her mother and standing up from her vanity chair. Easily, she walked to the adjoining door that led to her room, in the process turning her back to her mother to show that she refused to discuss the matter anymore.

"I'm not done talking to you young lady." Ariel called out, a bit miffed that she'd once again lost control over her daughter. She followed her daughter to the adjoining door that led to the girl's room, and watched as the girl went in through the door. As Ariel stepped forward to do the same---BAM!

The door slammed shut in her face.

* * *

**Can you just imagine Harmony slamming the door in her mother's face? Ariel with a confused yet miffed face walking up to the door....and then having it slam right in her face! Oh I would pay to see that! **

**REVIEW! And if you do, maybe I'll post up another chapter tonight! YAY! **

**So, i'm trying to organize all my songs on my iPod, and for some reason, all my old Pop songs from Hannah Montana refuse to be deleted. So, I organized them into a playlist. Wanna guess the name? **

**The name of the playlist is: Ear Bleeding Songs. **

***Disclaimer: I just don't like Hannah Montana---or Miley, or whatever her name is. If you do that's fine...just don't get mad at me, okay?* **

**REVEIW!!!!!!!!!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ariel stood at the door for a moment, staring at the thing that had just slammed in her face as her cheeks became red with anger. How dare Harmony! Ariel was her mother; you didn't slam doors in your mother's face! The moment Ariel saw her next that girl was going to be grounded for...for what, that little voice in the back of her mind questioned.

If anything, you deserve more than a simple slammed door in your face, the voice reminded. You've imprisoned your daughter, kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back, basically called her a freak....you should be thankful that's _all_ the girl has done to you! She saved your life, _three _times, the voice rambled on, and you've rewarded her with about two months of happiness....and then you almost killed her!

"Harmony, sweetheart, open this door." Ariel called out in a gentler tone, as the anger slowly faded from herself as it was replaced by something even worse; _guilt_. Guilt for everything that had happened in the past nine months. Yes, nine full months ago her daughter once again came into her life...and for nine months she's made sure to destroy any chance of her daughter ever going to sleep without having to wake up with nightmares.

"Go. To. Hell." Harmony's muffled voice said, as though she was crying, which she was. She didn't want to go to another ball...but she was afraid of not agreeing with her mother. What if the woman got mad at her, and then threw her out again? Where could she go then? Maybe it wasn't snowing any longer, but there was definitely cool air still all around! What if she was tossed back out on the street? How would, no, _could _she live without parents?

"Harmony...." Ariel's soft voice called, but she was only answered with a muffled sob, to which she sighed. Of course her daughter was crying, who wouldn't? After what had happened at the last two balls the girl had been too...well, anyone would agree that she didn't deserve to be thrown back out there in a cruel society that had shunned her. But that same cruel society was what the royal family had to deal with, and had to befriend.

"Both my doors are locked, so don't even bother trying to get in. Just-Just leave me alone." Harmony said in a muffled voice, hugging her stuffed bear to her chest tightly. Stay icy Kat, stay icy. Don't start to remember...no, don't think about the pain.

The pain surrounded her insides, gnawing at them until she thought she would die from how much it hurt. Memories flooded back to her as she suddenly could see very clearly, and painfully, snow all around her, as her weak and feverish body crawled to wherever it was she could get help. She could see all the blood on her tee shirt....she could see both her parents yelling at her to never come back. She could see the four walls of the dungeon, stained with the blood of her arms as she pounded her fists against the cage, wondering how it'd all gone so wrong.

Harmony clutched her bear in her arms tightly, as she made the floor her bed and crawled into a fetal position on it. Her sobs shook her entire body, wracking her with near hysterics as she could see it all, all of it perfectly. She could feel all of the pain; she could see the bodies. She could _feel_ herself slowly dying, as breathing in all of a sudden became a impossible task to accomplish. She couldn't grip reality, as she couldn't see anymore than her memories, which were the worst kind of torture. And through all of this, Ariel could only listen helplessly as she tried to unlock both doors again.

"Harmony! Harmony let me in!" Ariel commanded, knocking at the girl's door hard so that she could comfort her daughter. But who was she kidding? First of all, the doors weren't unlocking, and second, would her daughter really want to see the person who'd caused her all this pain?

"I'm sorry." Two voices said this at the same time, as both daughter and mother cried tears to themselves.

**Alrighty, so my computer curfew time is now, but I wanted to post up this chapter so you had SOMETHING to read! xJadeRainx why do you torture me and not post any chapters up? Gawd! This is so annoying! UPDATE ALREADY! **

**My new favorite song of the moment for Harmony's life: Walked Away, by Barlow Girl. Maybe I'll incorporate it into the story.....hm....*strokes imaginary dumbeldore beard thoughtfully while pondering this intently***

**REVIEW MAH STORAY!!!!!!!!!!!**


	8. A Secret Plan

"Why is your face all red? Were you crying?" Melody asked at dinner, as she saw her sister slide into her seat easily, as though she had been there the entire time. Hadn't their mother just been saying something softly to their father that they should send up a tray of food to the girl, since it didn't seem as though she'd be dining with them..._again_. It seemed as though the only days Harmony did eat dine with her family was when she invited her friend over for dinner, something which never put her family or Emma at ease.

Melody had tried getting along with the girl, really, she had for the sake of her sister...but it was so hard! The girls would have a sleepover in Harmony's room and they'd laugh about things Melody could never understand, or always eat candy or..._pop_-_corn_. They tried including Melody in their conversations....but it was never the same. It was like...._they_ were the twin sisters! And for that, Melody couldn't help but be jealous of Emma....and of course, her jealousy turned into hate.

"I was just reading a really sad part in my book." Harmony lied smoothly, as she saw her sister nod, and then turn back to their parents because there was no way she was going to get Harmony to explain to her about the 'sad part in a book'.

"What are you reading Harmony?" Eric's voice wondered as he was shot a careful look by his wife. Right. Be careful around Harmony. Tiptoe around her even, but don't mention---

"Wicked Lovely." The girl said in a soft voice, as Melody rolled her eyes. Her sister was reading _another _, the girl spent so much time in the library that it was like that was her room! Whenever Melody asked her sister how she could read so much, the girl would just reply 'Reading in an adventure.' Though, Melody couldn't see how one would see reading as an adventure.

"Wicked Lovely." Ariel mused, not letting her tone say a thing about how she heard her daughter's sobs clearly. Though, the girl was a smooth talker, and within an hour she'd regained composure and had gone downstairs to pretend as though everything was alright within her. "What's it about honey?" Ariel was desperate to get her daughter to start talking, to bring some normal back into the girl's life.

"Faerie monarchs trying to kill each other for power over the world. You know just teenage stuff." Harmony said with a shrug, though it didn't go past her when her parents exchanged apprehensive glances at the thought of that book. She'd never understand how they couldn't approve of what she'd read.

"Wouldn't you rather read something....more _appropriate_ for your age?" Eric said cautiously, knowing full well that that was something a young princess should not be reading.

"No." Harmony's answer was short simple, as she waited for it. And there it was the silence that consumed her and everywhere else she went these days. Everyone was always walking on egg shells around her, as though they thought she'd break with just a single word. At least Emma still treated her like Kathy, instead of freak-witch-girl. Sighing, the girl knew she had to fix the silence before she spent the rest of dinner in silence.

"I'll go to the dance tomorrow night." Harmony said in a soft voice, as her parents perked up at the answer. Though, she must have made a mistake, because she had said 'dance' instead of 'ball'. They didn't want to correct her and ruin the moment though, so they only smiled, as Melody gave her sister a bland smile too.

"Thank you honey." Ariel murmured, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. Squeezing it in comfort, she released the girl's shoulder as the food arrived, and the family engaged in conversation. All of the family, that is, except Harmony.

The girl only managed a tiny smile, as she couldn't very well smirk at how easy it was going to be to fool her parents. Did they actually think....? Were they really that able to trust her? Well, they shouldn't. After all, the girl silently mused, she _was_ a witch. And weren't witches known for being sneaky, tricky, and manipulative? Or was that just teenagers in general? Well, no matter. Tomorrow night, she'd be having definite fun, though she knew by the time she retired to her room she'd be dead.

Who cared though? Wasn't the one thing you couldn't buy was happiness? Then again, you could buy marshmallows, which was pretty much the same thing as happiness.

Stop thinking like that Kat, her mind scolded. Focus on the plan, remember what you have to do. And don't, by any means, chicken out. Take whatever's left of your courage and use it. Screw your courage to the sticking point even! Just do the plan, and tomorrow night, you'll be having so much fun, you won't know what to do with it.

Because, of course, her mind said as a bigger smile spread across her features, they'd only find out after it had happened, and by then what could they actually do to her? Ground her? Yell at her? Hit her? Kick her out---that one made the smile vanish off of the girl's face as she took in a deep breath to keep calm. Making sure to keep calm, so she didn't cry, the girl kept thinking about tomorrow night. After all, her mind said softly,

She had said dance on purpose.

* * *

**What are you thinking about Harmony? What are you planning? See, even as the author, I don't know! It just shows you that I have no control over this story, and I'm just letting my fingers do the typing...hey wanna know something funny? **

**In one of my classes, there's a girl named Ariel, and a guy named Sebastian, and they sit next to each other in class (assigned seats) !! I just realized that today! I was laughing so hard! Then my teacher was like staring me down, but then again, I think she wants to eat me cuz she's not very nice...or maybe it's just that our class is impossible? Hm. Oh well! **

**REVIEW like always, xJadeRainx you better not put another french lesson in your story! WHICH BTDUBS NEEDS TO BE UPDATED MORE OFTEN! THE SAME APPLIES FOR EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S POSTED ON FANFICTION! I NEED TO KNOW! gah! WHY DO YOU KEEP ME WAITING?! **

**review!**


	9. Algebra and Balls

The palace was quite literally, in a state of chaos. Everyone was bustling about, getting ready for the ball that night. Servants started to decorate the ballroom with green and put flowers all over to make it look pretty. Not one person in the entire palace wasn't busy---that is, accept the royal family.

Through the commotion of it all, Ariel had managed to grab both her daughter's and made sure that they were doing their homework, in the study, and out of all the hustle and bustle. The room was quiet as both girls did their work, the only noise really penetrating the room were the soft voices of Harmony's parents, as they quietly went over something together.

".....maybe we could Eric, but I don't---Harmony!" Ariel's voice suddenly admonished, as she saw her teenage daughter was staring off into space. The girl was jerked out of her reverie, as she looked at her parents with a shrug, shutting her math book with a soft thud.

"I already finished Mom." The girl stated, grabbing her book bag and starting to stuff books inside of it. Pretty soon Ariel was going to figure out that the only thing still keeping Harmony's book bag together was duct tape...and once she found that out Harmony knew she'd be forced to give up old reliable and get a new one.

"Then let me see it." It was a sort of soft challenge in Ariel's voice, one saying that if her daughter had done the homework, she'd have nothing to hide from her mother. But if she hadn't....

"Fine. Catch." Harmony said with a small grin as she sent her math book, with homework in it, flying across the room the desk where both her parents were working at. With the force the girl had put behind it, you'd think that the thing would have hit the far wall and caused it to crack...but it didn't. The book landed with barely a sound neatly on the desk, as Harmony smiled a triumphant smile to herself as her mother and father sent her a warning glance at using her powers.

"This is your homework?" Eric questions, as he pulled out a single sheet from the math book, and looked from the paper to Harmony. He'd long gotten past asking questions about things from the girl's other world; he knew she'd never give him an accurate answer anyway.

"Uh-huh. Toldya I finished it." Harmony stated, as she was suddenly on her knees on the floor, as she held her head in her arms on the desk. Her parents were startled by the appearance of her there so quickly, as the girl only grinned again, showing the one dimple she owned.

It was silent for a few minutes as Harmony hummed softly to herself, Melody tried her best at doing algebra, and her parents checked her math homework over. Finally, when Harmony thought she'd just grab the paper and stuff in back in her book bag like always, her parents both looked up, with frowns.

"This is...all wrong honey." Ariel said, as her red brows furrowed at the thought of it. She may not be extremely great at math, but as a Queen she did know how to use it...though, she'd never seen a paper with so many things wrong on it.

"If this is the 'test prep'....than doesn't that mean your test is coming soon?" Eric wondered as Harmony gave a shrug, as she tucked her red hair behind both her ears, a habit since she was a little girl. Today she'd gotten lazy, and hadn't put her hair in two braids...though; today her mother had pulled back her own red hair with a bow, so it's not like the two matched or anything.

"Monday actually. And I know it's all wrong." Harmony said as if the math homework was something that could easily be dismissed with a wave of her hand, which it could be. It was only math; one bad math test would only bring her down to a D, not an F or anything.

"If you know it's all wrong, and your test is Monday, why don't you fix it so you have something to study off of?" Ariel asked with pursed lips, as she studied her daughter's bored expression before her. The girl seemed as though she could care less about this! And it was important too!

" 'Cuz." Harmony said with another dismissing hand, rolling her blue eyes as if to say, 'who cares?'.

"Because." Ariel corrected automatically, smiling a little as her daughter shot her a look, the girl's red hair flowing down her back beautifully. If only the girl would brush it out herself every day, like she was supposed to, it could look like that all the time! But no, her daughter was too lazy.

"Fine. _Because_ she only checks if we've done the work. Not if we have anything right or not." Harmony said with a cheery smile, taking her homework back in her hands and stuffing it into her math book.

"You're not learning anything that way." Ariel's chiding voice reminded, as Harmony gave her mother a look that practically said 'If I don't care then why should you?'

"Go back and do it correctly, and when you're finished we'll check it again." Eric's stern voice commanded, as Harmony sighed. She knew it would be easy to disobey, to roll her eyes and say 'whatever, I don't care'...but she didn't need to get into any trouble before tonight! That way after the night ended, she would just be punished once, instead of twice.

"_Fine_." Harmony groaned, as both her parents chuckled. Melody gave her a sorry look, but did nothing to interfere with the banter between her sister and parents. That way she could finish with her homework and squeeze in a swim before she had to get ready for the ball.

It was nearly time for the ball when Ariel finally found Harmony. The girl was spread out across the study floor as she was still trying to do her math homework correctly, since her repeated attempts at in always ended up with the problems done wrong. This time though she was positive she'd done it correctly this time though.

"Honey....are you _still_ doing math? It's been four hours!" Ariel said as she dared not kneel on the floor next to her daughter, unless she wanted to ruin the perfectness of her ball gown.

"It has?" Harmony asked dubiously, looking up at her mother for confirmation of the words. "Huh. Well, this time I did it perfect, see?" Harmony's hopeful voice said, lazily handing up the homework to her mother. While Ariel's eyes silently roamed over the paper, Harmony fingered a loose string on faded t-shirt.

Her mother continually voiced her opinion that as a young lady Harmony should be wearing a dress, and sitting properly like a princes....but her words were wasted on Harmony. Besides, how could she run wearing a dress, when shorts were so much easier to maneuver in?

"It's....a bit better." Ariel said, forcing a smile onto her face as she took her eyes off the math homework and back on her daughter. Harmony didn't buy it though, as she sighed and look her hopeful eyes off of her mother, disappointment running all along her face. She knew that expression, the forced happiness. How many times had she done the same when someone gave her a gift she didn't like?

"It's still awful, isn't it?" Harmony asked in a quiet voice, trying to keep her throat from closing up with tears. And she'd worked really hard on this math homework too! That should be a warning sign; just take what you get and don't ask questions.

"Why don't you forget about homework, and get dressed? I'll help you." Ariel offered, trying to steer the conversation away from the girl's disappointment. Truth be told her math was still awful, and the girl had spent four hours trying to improve it. Maybe it was time Ariel forced her daughter to stay in the castle and be tutored, so that she could start understanding the material.

"Yeah sure." Harmony said with a sigh, bringing a smile on her face. Though, it held way too much in common with her mother's.

Because it was also forced.

* * *

**Poor Harmony, she wants so much to do good in school....but she just doesn't get the material. So, I'm just wondering when you review, tell me what side your on in the matter. **

**Side A: Have Harmony stay in the palace and be tututored**

**Side H: Let Harmony continue to go to normal school**

**Tell me which one you like better! **

**Personally, I like side H because if Harmony was tutored she'd lose the only thing that still holds her to her old world....emotion wise she'd be better off not being tutored. **

** But Side A has a good point to. She doesn't understand what she's learning, and takes _hours_ to do her work...academic wise, she'd be better off tutored so that she can actually learn and understand. **

**Alrighty, so, today was freshmen week. Let the record show that I was clean until my second class, when we had to have breakfast with our Seniors. I wasn't written on AT ALL until breakfast with the Seniors. They held me down and wrote all over me! My face, arms....and they used that spray paint hair thing in my hair! I had blue, red, green and orange in my hair the whole day! Seriously, my freshmen are going to pay for this! **


	10. Sugar, Spice, and Converse

"Ow! Mom!" Harmony cried out, as her mother tried to brush through a stubborn knot in her hair. The girl squirmed and looked at her mother through the mirror, trying to get her head away from the torturous brush.

"If you stopped moving around so much it wouldn't hurt." Ariel reminded with amusement in her voice as Harmony shot her a sour look. But really, the girl couldn't stay still for two minutes! If she wasn't fidgeting, she was squirming, if she wasn't squirming, she was fidgeting! Ariel finally understood what Attina had gone through her entire childhood.

"Your enjoying my pain, aren't you?" Harmony asked with accusing eyes, as her mother just laughed and kept trying to brush through the knots that had somehow accumulated in her daughter's hair.

"It wouldn't be so painful if you were _still_." Ariel reminded once again, but put down her daughter's brush anyways. She'd done all she could to control her daughter's hair; the rest was up to fate.

"Finally." Harmony muttered, as her mother's tinkling laugh sounded from behind her. Harmony could hear the doors of her wardrobe opening and the rustle of dresses the girl hardly ever wore as she jumped out of her vanity chair, not so daintily.

"I wish you'd wear these more often." Ariel murmured as her hand went through the different fabrics of the beautiful dresses....that Harmony almost never wore. "They're so pretty."

"Yeah, and they're also really hard to run in. Not like shorts." Harmony said wiggling her rear to prove her point before crossing her arms against her still training bra small chest as she leaned against the wall next to the wardrobe.

"Which aren't appropriate for a young lady, much less a princess." Ariel stated, but she knew the battle was already lost. Harmony had inherited her stubborn will; once there was an idea in the girl's head, it was extremely difficult to get it out.

"Technically, I'm just another weird teenage girl." Harmony said with a small smile playing up on the corner's of her mouth, as her mother shot her a reprimanding look before taking out a beautiful pink ball gown from the wardrobe and arching a brow to her daughter to see if she would wear it.

Harmony took one look at the dress...and wanted to barf. It was pretty alright...but it wasn't _her_. The dress was a light pink that blossomed out on the bottom and made it look so poofy. The bodice was decorated in a pattern of white French lace that created a bow right under her chest. The worst part of the dress though; it was strapless. Well, not completely strapless. The straps would have hung on the sides of her shoulders, a mere decoration rather than something holding the dress up.

"Because I totally want to accent the fact that I still have no chest, at age fourteen." Harmony said with a roll of her blue eyes, as Ariel couldn't help it; she smiled. Her daughter was pretty small for a fourteen year old, considering her twin was already growing into having a beautiful figure.

Still, Ariel herself could distinctly remember being fourteen and not actually needing shells because she hadn't had a thing. At fourteen she should've still been wearing a band like other mermaids _girls_, but she'd begged Attina to let her wear shells because she hated to be the only one out.

"You're just a late bloomer honey, that's all." Ariel said with a small chuckle, but placed the dress back in the wardrobe. Maybe some other ball, another time, when her daughter wasn't still so small.

"Yeah, really late." Harmony muttered under her breathe. "How 'bout this one?" Harmony wondered, as she pulled out herself a blue dress. This one seemed more like something Harmony might wear---if it was above the knee and looked just a little more modern. Still, this was a _ball_---at least, for now it was a ball.

"About Harmony, not 'bout." Ariel corrected her daughter's grammer out of habit, sheepishly smiling as her daughter shot her a look. The gown the girl had taken out was a midnight blue color, with a sash tied around the waist as the poofy sleeves were off the shoulders, and the neckline was a little more forward. "As long as you like it...." Ariel said, wistfully looking back at the pink gown. Her daughter would look stunning in it, for sure...but the girl was such a tomboy that she'd probably never wear it.

"I like it." Harmony stated, as Ariel smiled. Helping the teenager slip into the dress, Ariel tied up the back of it easily, before pushing her daughter's loose red wavy hair forward in front of her.

"You look wonderful honey." Ariel murmured, as she smiled at the sight. Harmony just rolled her eyes at the compliment, and dared not look into the mirror, for fear of who'd she see. "Shoes!" Ariel suddenly remembered, as she saw Harmony's ratty old converse (which she hated) sticking out from under her dress.

"Can't I just wear my converse?" Harmony asked, as she was handed a pair of flats that had a bow right on them. They were a lighter blue color than her dress, but they would service her needs nicely....for now. "Their more comfy...and easier to run in."

"You're not _supposed _to be running sweetheart." Ariel said with a smile, as she saw her daughter sigh and slip her feet out of her converse, socks, and then pull on the shoes. She tried to wiggle her toes in them, but found that her feet were so compressed that it felt uncomfortable to do so.

"You say that now." Harmony stated, as Ariel sighed and squeezed her daughter's shoulder tightly in comfort before placing the tiara on top of her red head. Ariel had to admit, the girl did look stunning the midnight gown, with her red waves falling down to her waist as the tiara shone brightly on top of her head....except for the small dent on the side of it, when it was purposely knocked off her head last ball.

"Don't flip out just yet; but I think your hair is on fire Harmony. Oh wait, no, you're just a red head." Melody said with a sweet smile to her sister's scowl, as she walked into her twin's dressing room. Melody had chosen a pink gown that accented her now growing chest purposely.

"Seriously, say that one more time and I'll---" Harmony was cut off as she felt a warm hand place itself over her mouth, the owner of the hand grinning as the girl ripped it off.

"Be---" Eric started, but was cut off by his two daughters.

"Nice." The girls filled in, rolling their blue eyes as both parents laughed, intertwining hands with each other without a second thought. It was just like that now; they were so in sync with one another that they didn't even have to think about it, they just knew.

"You both look wonderful." Eric said with a smile, as he got his daughters to roll their blue eyes again. Well, mainly Harmony rolled her eyes, as Melody more or less blushed and twirled in her dress.

"You think?" Melody questioned her smile impossible to miss as Harmony snorted, her mouth opening to reply in a sarcastic way, before the girls' mother broke them up so a fight wouldn't start.

"You both look beautiful, but I think we should go downstairs now." Ariel said with a wink to her husband, who nodded with a small grin on his face. Melody's face tinged pink with excitement...Harmony's face tinged green with agitation.

"It'll be fine." Ariel whispered into Harmony's ear, slinging an arm around the girl as her father and sister walked out of the dressing room. Harmony gulped hugely, crossing her fingers behind her back as she closed her eyes and wished with all her heart that it would be.

"And may I present, her royal highness princes....................._Harmony_." The voice rang out her name last, as Harmony stood back in the shadows, suddenly finding herself immovable.

The tension in the crowd reached an all time high as people were silently waiting for the princess to come out...all of them wondering how this ball would go. Everyone waited for a minute, two minutes, three minutes; they listened to Grimsby clear his throat and announce Harmony again...but after about five more minutes one thing became clear.

Harmony wasn't coming to the ball.

* * *

**Review!**


	11. Mozart meets DJ

There were two very different scenes that night, and Harmony could have chosen either one of them. One was a scene of calm, serene people murmuring and waltzing, while in the other scene you had the heat of bodies crowded together, loud music pumping through the walls so loud that you had to yell to be heard. One had a quartet, the other a D.J. One was in a gym, the other in a ball room. One was a school dance, the other a ball. Isn't it obvious what Harmony chose?

"I can't believe you ditched!" Emma's shocked voice cried out, but it had more of a happy ring to it than anything as her 'sister' grinned and popped a sour punch straw into her mouth. Harmony was outside of the nosy gym with her best friends, just taking a breather for a few minutes before she'd return to dancing again.

"You. Are. Officially. My super hero! Do you think your parents are going to notice that you aren't at their little ball thingy?" Lizzie's voice asked with a small laugh to her friend, as she didn't notice Harmony and Emma exchange a musing look with each other. Harmony had told all her friends (besides Emma) that her adopted parents had some type of function and that she was being forced to attend a ball that was out of town. Well, for the most part it was true.

"Probably." Harmony said, putting a finger to her chin as her friends laughed all around her. "But then again, what can they do about it? It's not like they're going to come all the way to school to drag me from the dance." Harmony said with an easy shrug and smile, as more laughs were exchanged with her friends.

"Watch in like ten minutes her parents come into the gym and actually drag her away." Matt joked, as he was playfully thumped on the head by Lizzie.

"Don't jinx it!" She cried out, as Matt groaned and rubbed the spot on his head where it smarted. And Harmony just laughed, as she put another sour punch straw into her mouth and slowly ate it up, thinking about how wonderful her life was right now.

"Eric, she wasn't upstairs!" Ariel murmured, behind a delicate smile to her guests as she knew Eric must be smiling just the same. Ariel had ducked out of the ball room for just a moment to see if she could find her daughter...she was shocked to find that the girl hadn't hidden herself away in her room from fear...rather, the girl was just _gone_.

"She's probably just scared Ariel. I bet she's probably on the beach right now." Eric said behind his own smile, as he felt his wife intertwine her hand with his. It wasn't a show of strength, or any other type of icon---it was because she was scared.

"I hope so...I really do." Ariel said as she let her hand give a dainty wave to her daughter, who was looking at her with question in her eyes whether to dance or not. It was obvious that while Harmony never had a problem talking to boys, Melody did. The poor girl would get tongue tied, and then regret what she'd said in her mind, while her twin just treated boys like any other person.

"Maybe a dance would relax you some. May I?" Eric asked, as he bowed deeply to his wife, taking his intertwined hand out from hers. The ball room suddenly stopped dancing, as they watched with warm eyes as the Queen's face broke out into a smile, a real smile, as she curtseyed back to him. Letting Eric take her hand in his, she was led onto the dance floor with him, his blue eyes loving as they stared at her...but Ariel knew him all too well and could see that he was greatly worried as to where Harmony might be too.

"_Boom boom boom, now  
Boom boom boom, now  
Boom boom pow  
Boom boom pow."_

Harmony sang along to the lyrics of the popular dance song; well, more shrieked them with her friends than sang but whatever. Her blue eyes danced as she moved her body to the beat, feeling the once long ball gown that she'd quickly made some modern adjustments to, sway against her thighs. Her hips moved from left to right as she threw her hands in the air, laughing as she spun around in a circle on her heel before pursing her lips and dancing again.

"Go Kat!" Emma's voice laughed out, as she grasped her sister's hands with hers and they twirled in and out of each other's arms, as though it was some modern twist to an old waltz.

The music boomed loudly in the background, each beat making the gym floor vibrate. Loud conversations swirled over the teenager's heads as they laughed and tossed their shoes aside to dance barefooted in the gym floor. Seniors sat on the stands, tired of dancing as they watched freshmen dance, laughing at how young they were. Single juniors had long since abandoned the dance floor, making way for the junior couples that danced together in a not so proper way. Sophomores' awkwardly stood on the side lines, not knowing if they should jump in with their younger classmates, or be cool and hang back. And freshmen, well, the freshmen just _danced_. They didn't think, they didn't care, and they just danced.

Polite applause sounded as the Queen and King finished their dance, the string quartet stopping the old waltzing piece as both royals stepped off the dance floor, but still remained the center of attention.

Soft whispers, barely audible went around the ball room, as women stood with each other gossiping, as their husbands stood at their sides, talking about business. Though, in both conversations it was impossible not to hear the words 'princess' and 'Harmony' at least once.

Would she be Queen one day, the men asked each other, stealing silent glances at the King and Queen who were smiling and gazing at each other lovingly. She was supposed to be introduced earlier into society, but the King and Queen wanted to wait as long as possible for her, women gossiped, them too stealing glances at the two royals who stood next to each other, hand in hand.

"I hope she's alright." Ariel murmured behind a fake delicate smile, as she looked 'lovingly' into Eric's blue eyes. It was like a game to her, doing this. Make sure you always look your best, make sure they don't catch what your actually thinking...make sure you know what you're doing.

"I hope so too." Eric murmured right back, though he couldn't be certain about his words. Where was she? Was Harmony so afraid to reenter society that she'd purposely leave? What was happening with her?

"Alright, see you guys!" Harmony said with cheeriness, as she waved goodbye to her friends as they got into the car, car pooling home with each other. The girl turned back into the school, and went into the girl's bathroom. Making sure none other than herself was there, she thought herself back home.

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	12. Worst Sneaking Back In Attempt Ever

"What if she's hurt, or worse?! Eric, what if she runaway, or what if she's lost or--or---" Ariel was in full motherly panic mode. This had happened before, when Harmony had fallen asleep in the graveyard....but by the time she'd come back it was midnight. Now it was nearly _two_ in the morning, and their daughter was nowhere to be found.

"Ariel...." Eric started, attempting to calm his wife. But Ariel was beyond calming down as she bit her finger nails until she knew she had none left. She was going to regret that soon...but she didn't right now as she kept pacing back and forth in her daughter's room, still in her ball gown as she contemplated where the girl might be.

"Eric I can't calm down!" Ariel said, knowing that was the reason behind him saying her name. "Harmony could be anywhere right now! In the town, in Nebraska, on the beach, in the woods---"

"In my room." Harmony's voice startled her parents, as they swiftly turned around to face her, shocked. And there the girl stood, a bag slung over her shoulder, as it was filled with some things in it. Her red brows her so high that they were covered by her bangs, as her bright blue eyes flickered between her mother and father.

"Harmony Althea! Where on earth have you been?! It's two in the morning!" Ariel's voice was the first to break through the sound barrier of shocked silenced, as she grabbed her daughter in her arms, hugging the girl tightly. When her daughter was missing...it felt like it'd been for those twelve years the girl had been just gone. No trace was ever found...Ariel hated that feeling.

"_Again_ with the middle name. You know, you could have chosen something less....old fashioned. Something cool like....Coolster, or something like that." Harmony said wanly, managing to escape her mother's arms...only to be instantly pulled back into a hug by her father. She was hoping they'd take the bait, and not ask her more questions....but she knew they weren't idiots. And she was right.

"Young lady, where were you?!" Ariel said, completely ignoring her daughter's previous comment about her middle name. Althea was a beautiful name, and besides, Ariel had wanted her daughters to keep on with the 'A' like her and her sisters....in memory of her mother. "More importantly..._what are you wearing_?! Is that your gown?! What on earth did you do to it?!" Ariel's relief was filled with much more than that now, oh, now she was mad.

"Oh, my dress?" Harmony questioned, as her mother nodded wide eyed, as Eric stood gaping mouthed at the thing. He may allow his daughter to wear a pair of short shorts when she was swimming, and a bikini top because mostly she was under water. He may allow her to wear tee-shirts that were faded and long Bermuda shorts, or jeans around the palace...but not in a million years would he allow her to wear a dress that short.

"Cute huh? Shame the spell only last's for another hour because I would totally want let Emma wear this to the next school dance, and then she can trade with me her dress...." Harmony said, as her eyes had a far off look of how she'd look in hot pink. Not that she enjoyed the color or anything of that sort, but Emma's dress had been hot pink and black, a very nice combination.

"Spell?" Ariel questioned with wide eyes at the same time a Eric wondered "School dance?" That's when the parents looked at each other and it all made sense. Why she'd kept saying she'd go to the 'dance' instead of ball, why she'd ditched, why she was wearing such a....slutty dress, was the only way to put it.

"Harmony....please don't tell me that you purposely missed the Evergreen Ball just so you could go to a school dance." Ariel's slow voice put together, as Harmony looked up at her mother, no fear in her features as she stated the truth.

"Actually, I did. So. What." Harmony said a bit evilly, before straightening up and walking to her dressing room to take off her now shorter ball gown that was more a party dress.

Ariel looked back at her husband for a moment, her eyes telling him that she'd handle their daughter, since he couldn't very well go into her dressing room while she was changing. Though she spoke no words, she knew perfectly well that Eric understood her, as he nodded, his eyes saying he'd wait up for her in their room.

"First of all young lady," Ariel started, as Harmony started to remove the now short ball gown off of her. The dress went up to her middle thighs, showing way too much of her pale white legs that glimmered in the candle that the girl had lit. "I thought you agreed that whenever you were going to go somewhere, you'd tell your father or I, or leave a note." Ariel said calmly, as Harmony didn't even bother to look back at her mother.

"I did tell you. I said I was going to the dance. You said that was perfectly fine. I never said a word about a ball." Harmony stated, pulling off her under garments as she pulled on a nightgown instead.

"You know what I meant." Ariel snapped, before keeping back her calm composure. Every time she lost control of her anger, this teenager got hurt in some way that was just awful. "You're grounded for the next week. Don't even think about setting a fin---er--_foot_ out of the palace." Ariel corrected herself quickly, sternly looking at her daughter as if she dared the girl to argue this with her.

"Sure, whatever. I won't go anywhere out of the palace except for school." Harmony said with a roll of her eyes, opening up her vanity drawer and letting her hand search for something. Ah, there it was. Her fingers opened up the pack of gum quickly, before she popped one into her mouth and started chewing.

"I didn't say anything about going to school."

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**Uh oh spagetti O, what does Ariel mean? FInd out if you review!**


	13. FML to The Extreme

Flames licked at Harmony's fingers as her anger started to rise up, and she spun around to face her mother, crystal fire in her eyes as her face was twisted into a scowl. What was she talking about?

"It was implied, correct?" Harmony asked, using a formal tone with her mother to show just how angry she really was. Ariel didn't flinch as she kept her features completely calm and looked straight at her daughter.

"No, it wasn't." Ariel replied back, calmly and in a gentle tone, though her words made no sense with it. "You're not to set foot out of palace for the next week." Ariel said firmly, as the gum in her daughter's mouth suddenly started to be chewed at and alarmingly fast rate.

"I'm already really far behind in class from missing so much time! If I don't go to school for the next week, I'll be _held back_!" Harmony interjected her tone not of anger but of pure fear as she thought of the fact that'd she'd be a freshman again.

"With the way your grades are going that's not entirely a bad thing." Ariel stated in a cool calm voice, as Harmony's eyes turned from pleading to...untold anger. Flames were quickly spreading up her arms in anger as her eyes started to tear up because she was so frustrated. "Harmony, as future Queen you have to---" Ariel was suddenly cut off by a wide eyed Harmony.

"Future what now?" The girl asked in a confused voice, not understanding what her mother was talking about. Future Queen? How could she, a witch/cutter/girl with a lot of problems/most hated person in the kingdom ever be a _Queen_?! She couldn't do that, she wouldn't! It was impossible! "What are you talking about Mom? I'm not going to be Queen 'someday'; that's Melody's job." Harmony said with a snort, as the fire fled away from her fingers because she was no longer angry.

"No. It's not Melody's 'job'. Honey...you were born first. You're the one who'll be Queen...besides; you know your sister doesn't have enough strength to be Queen." Ariel said calmly, as she stared her daughter down. It's not like she didn't love Melody dearly...it's just that it was a bit obvious that she'd never be a good ruler.

"Strength is nothing more than how well you hide the pain." Harmony scoffed, her hand balling up into a fist as her jaw tightened. "If you haven't noticed _Mom_, I am the most hated person in the kingdom right now. I will never become Queen...and even if the people wanted me too, I still wouldn't because I have bigger dreams than that." Harmony said, wistfulness in her voice as her mother stared at her in shock.

Yes Harmony had gone through some rough patches...that had made her bleed, but Ariel had just always assumed her daughter would rightfully take the throne when she was married and old enough.

"What dreams?" Ariel scoffed at her daughter's silliness. "You're a princess, you live in a castle, you have the power to destroy the world at your fingertips....what more could you want?" She practically spat out, as Harmony turned her literally icy gaze at her mother. Ice started to form on the floor of the dressing room, around Ariel as Harmony stared her down.

"I thought you of all people would understand what it feels like to have it all at your fingertips...just to be crushed bitterly." Harmony said in a voice that contained so much steel that Ariel practically winced. "I _will_ go to school on Monday, I _will _see my best friends, and you know what? There's not a thing you can do about it." Harmony hissed, as venomous as a snake as Ariel and her locked eyes and stared at each other threateningly.

"You will not." Ariel's tone was not the tone to be challenged, as it was the Queen's tone. And everyone knew never to cross the Queen, or get her angry. Though she may be sweet and innocent on the outside, she had a fiery temper that no subject dared cross. There was just one problem; Harmony was an _American_.

"Screw you and your kingdom; I'm going to Carter High School Monday morning." Harmony hissed back, her tone so venomous that one would think she was a cobra instead of teenage girl. Lighting cracked outside, suiting Harmony's mood just fine as she had both her fist's balled up.

"Not while you're under your father and I's roof." Ariel spat out so harsh that lightning cracked at her words as Harmony's anger got at an all time high.

"THEN I'LL MOVE TO BLOODY CANADA!" Harmony shrieked, jumping at her own words. "Or maybe I'll stay in this world, just for you, _Mother_. I'll go live on the streets. I'll _beg _on my _knees_ for my next meal, I'll shiver during the cold ever night and try to remember what the feeling of love felt like.......but at least it would be better than being _**here**_." Harmony shrieked the last word, as a huge bolt of lightning crack right next to the window, showing ever line on Harmony's face. Her breathing was ragged as she tried hard not to sob, and as Ariel stood in the room...stunned.

Before Ariel could even say a word, Harmony stormed away from her in the dressing room, opening up her door to go back in her room angrily as tears fell down her face rapidly.

The girl grabbed her book bag and dumped out all the books in it on the floor, kicking them angrily as they flew across the room. Her eyesight was blurry with tears as she next saw her sketch book on her bed, and how her teeth clenched in rage at seeing it. Grabbing the book, she started to tear out her precious sketchings, ripping them to shreds as she finally flung the book away from her.

"Harmony, what are you doing?" A bleary eyed Melody questioned in a whisper of a voice. She'd woken up from the lightning, and on a hunch had gone to see if her sister was causing it. She apparently was, as she was seething with rage.

"Packing." Harmony said through clenched teeth, ripping a drawer out from it's hinges as she grabbed some of her shorts, tee shirts, and of course underwear. Stuffing them into her bag, she then started grabbing at her precious books.

"Packing?" Melody asked dubiously, wide eyed as she realized that her sister was totally serious. "Harmony, where do you plan to go this late?! It's nearly three in the morning!" Melody stage whispered, as Harmony zipped her bag up tightly, and slung it across her shoulder.

"I'm planning to leave." Harmony said in full fledged anger, staring her sister down as the girl was blocking the door. "The only reason they've kept me around so long is apparently just so that I can become Queen. I'm not going to sit around and let them apologize again for what they've done to me Melody. I'm leaving." She hissed, Melody shook her head in fear and put her arms across the door so that she was completely blocking it.

"I'm not letting you. You'll tear the family apart, even more than you and Em---I'm just not letting you." Melody quickly revised, as Harmony sighed, tears running down her face at an alarming pace as the rain quickened on the outside.

"Remember, you made me do this." Harmony warned, as hit her sister in the stomach as hard as she could. The girl doubled over with pain, immediately releasing the door as Harmony opened and closed it easily.

The next thing she knew, she was staring at Ryan's grave.

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***Sigh* Ariel, you really need to go to some par****enting classes, because obviously your not doing a very good job with Harmony. Anyway, Harmony is at Ryan's grave right now....what will that have to do with anything? **

**Oh, and i'm at a sort of cross road with bringing a character that has been dead for awhile...back alive and into this story *not Ryan...sorry :(*....I want your opinion. This character will have a MAJOR impact on Harmony's family....(aunts, cousins, grandfather included) so should I do it? I leave the fate up to the hands of my reviewers. Review and tell me your opinion!**

**So, Freshmen won the *olympic games* today! YAY! The only downside: The minute freshmen were realeased from the gym, a hoard of senior started to chase us. Aparently they weren't very happy when we all started chanting at them 'Who's your Daddy _now_?' **

**Review and tell me your thoughts! Should i go for it...or not? Tell me!**


	14. Running Away with Tears

Harmony stared at the marble tombstone for a moment, before falling on her knees on the still chilled ground as her muffled sobs sounded against his grave. Her life, her brother, and everything she'd ever dreamed of had been crushed within one year. People say that your high school years are you most important ones...well, Harmony could definitely attest to the fact that her first year in high school had her already sucked. She was so low that she was sobbing against her brother's grave, with nothing but a few clothes in her old book bag, a old stuffed bear in her arms, and no place to call home.

She'd always dreamed of a better life, one with happiness instead of anger, one where she could be free to fly away, as it she'd been in the world her and her brother had created when they were young...but that life had never come to her. She was a lonely, scared fourteen year old girl who had no idea about the future.

Future, her mind scoffed. The future for her would be where she was going to sleep tonight. Where could she go that she wasn't always surrounded by a family that walked on eggshells around her because they thought at just one word she'd break? Was there such a world out there that she could finally, for once in this past year, be and continue to stay happy?

"Ariel?" Eric whispered blearily, suddenly startled out of his sleep as he heard the door to the room he shared with his wife open and close softly. Though he couldn't see her very well in the dark room, he knew from the way she was so graceful on her feet that it must be her. He listened carefully as he heard her ragged breathes coming in and out of her mouth quickly, as though she was struggling to keep from sobbing.

Eric knew suddenly that she was crying; or must have been. Though, he said nothing for he knew she'd talk when she was ready. His eyes became accustomed to the dark as he saw her slip off the heavy ball gown, and release a sigh of contentment at that. She slid easily into her nightgown, as though she'd been born to do so before he felt her presence next to him in their bed.

"It went awfully." Ariel said softly after a moment, when she finally felt Eric wrap his strong arms against her frame as if he was protecting her. "I didn't think she'd get so mad when I told her she wasn't allowed to go to school for the next week....I didn't know she had no idea about her future. Eric....I just don't understand. I try to punish her, she runaway. I try to be her mother, she breaks down and cries. I can never do anything right by Harmony." Ariel whispered her voice cracking as she buried her face into her husband's chest.

Oh if only those people of her kingdom could see her now! They held her to such a high standard, as though she never cried. As though she was born emotionally detached from everyone but her family....how stupid they were. She was like any other mother....sometimes, she just needed to cry.

"Where is she now?" Eric asked in a gentle voice to his one and only love, as she clutched his nightshirt tightly, not willing to talk about this. Eric's finger's stroked Ariel's red hair as she cried against him, and he tried to soothe her. Though, his efforts were wasted for Ariel didn't calm down enough to talk...she just fell asleep with her tears.


	15. Skittles and Sisters

The midday sun finally became enough to wake Harmony up, as she rubbed her eyes sleepily, her body aching from falling asleep in such an uncomfortable position on her brother's grave. Slowly blinking out the sleepiness, she yawned and stood up, but not without a glance back at her brother's grave and a nod at it. She'd come again to talk to him.

Her stomach growled with the lack of food intake, as Harmony grimaced and clutched it, before pulling herself up in Old Warner's tree. No one really knew why it was called Old Warner's tree....but Harmony wasn't about to question this. Climbing through the branches easily, she sat down on a particularly thick one that hid her from anyone's view; though it was rare anyone would come on a Sunday to the graveyard.

Harmony sighed and clutched her stomach as it rumbled again, this time in pain as she had skipped lunch and dinner the day prior because she'd been too intent on finishing her homework. Sighing, the girl looked up at the canopy of green leaves that had only a few months before been completely gone.

Where was she going to go now? Her old home? Yeah, because Janice would just _love_ to see her. She couldn't very well go back to the palace, because obviously her mother didn't want her there. Atlantica? No, too awkward to stay there. Harmony loved the water, but she loved knowing that her _legs_ were in the water, instead of a tail. Maybe she could stop by Em's...maybe she'd have an idea.

Yes, that seemed smart! Alright, she'd go to Emma's house, and see if Em had any idea what she should do next, because Harmony quite obviously didn't. Climbing down from the tree easily and skillfully, Harmony jumped the remaining feet to the ground as she stared at the graveyard gates. Her town may not be huge, but it was still big enough that walking from one side to the other under the hot midday sun would be at least twenty minutes.

Sighing, the girl started walking, completely wrapped in her own thoughts. Harmony walked along the sidewalk as cars drove by her leisurely, not finding the teenager walking around alone strange. And why would they? Amherst was a tiny little town that stayed away from big city crime. For God's sake, the police station had only about five people on the job because nothing ever happened in the town!

It took Harmony twenty full minutes to get from the graveyard to Emma's house, and once there, she rang the door bell. Quickly dusting herself off just in case Mrs. G opened the door, Harmony stood up straight, a bored waiting expression on her face to hide the intensity of what she wanted to talk to her friend about.

"Kathy!" The door swung open as a girl younger than Harmony squealed in delight. Susan, Emma's little sister, grinned from ear to ear as she saw Harmony. She had always liked the girl, mostly because she didn't just brush her off like all of Emma's other friends. She actually took the time to talk to her.

"Hey Susie." Harmony said with a forced smile, as she looked past the girl and into the house. "Your big sis home? I gotta ask her about some math questions." Harmony lied smoothly, not even thinking about the lie before saying it. Pretty soon she'd be so good at lying that if they strapped her up to a lie detector test, it'd break because she was just that good.

"Uh-huh. She's in her room." Susi said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling at the thought of it. "And she borrowed my favorite pen last week and now she won't let me in to get it back." Stupid older sisters and their rules.

"I'll see if I can find it for you, don't worry." Harmony reassured the younger girl, who in turn beamed up at her with a smile. If only Kathy was her sister, instead of stupid Emma, Susie thought to herself. Then she'd have a cool big sister who didn't mind talking to her younger sibling. "See ya in a few, okay?" Harmony said to the girl, before walking into the home easily. Most homes in Amherst had the same layout, so it wasn't hard to know where Emma's room was. That and the fact Harmony had been to it over a million times.

"Em, problem." Harmony said, opening the door of her friend's room and closing it behind her. Emma was sitting on her bed playing loud music to keep the noise of her sister and younger brother's complaints away. When she noticed Harmony, she gave a look of mute surprise, but lowered the music volume so she could talk to her best friend.

"What's the problem Chiquita?" Emma wondered with a smile, making Harmony give her a little smile in return at using that silly name. Harmony slowly, and softly, made her story come out, as Emma listened thoughtfully the entire time, up until Harmony was done and then brought her nails to her mouth to bite.

"That sucks." Emma said with a sigh to her friend's story, knowing the girl didn't need to hear a paragraph explanation why it did. Harmony's stomach growled angrily and painfully at the girl for not feeding it, as she looked up sheepishly and blushing at Emma who only rolled her eyes and reached under her bed. "You're not helping my thinking that you're anorexic." Emma said, as she handed Harmony a pack of skittles. If Harmony liked candy, Emma LOVED it.

"What do I do Em? She told me I can't go to school all next week if I live there, but if I don't I'll get held back. We were going to graduate together." Harmony whispered, looking down at her now nail-less fingers as she bit her lip. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to cry...

"We _are_ going to graduate together Kat, chill." Emma said with a roll of her eyes to make her friend feel less awkward. "By now, your mom is probably in like freak out mode 'cuz she doesn't know where you are. The minute you get back home she's going to be all over you saying that she's sorry for talking to you like that, and that she didn't mean it. I betcha she's forgotten all about the whole school thing and just wants you back home. But knowing you, you'd never agree to go home so easily." Emma said, staring down her sister with mock accusation in her eyes that made Harmony giggle a bit. "Why don't we just hang out in that abandoned music room in Altantis for now? I need a change of scenery to do my homework, and you like music so..." Emma stated, as Harmony looked at the girl with understanding.

"Atlantica." Harmony corrected automatically, laughing as she got a snort from Emma but nothing more. "Let's go now...I want to stay cool." Harmony said slowly, as Emma nodded, and started to pack up her books into her bookbag.

"Wait!" Emma said suddenly, an inch from Harmony's face. Harmony's brows rose in question as to what her friend was doing, but the girl only grinned. "How can you stay cool, if your, like, hot?" Emma asked in a valley girl voice...and you know what?

Harmony fell to the floor laughing, along with her sister.

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**Alright, lemme just say this: Congrats to Aurore Goddess of Dawn for riding a mechanical bull....i've actually always wanted to do that you know! It sounds like so much fun! GAH! I wish i could! **

**I'm tired so this is going to be a short little thingy. xJadeRainx update faster! **

**Don't worry, i didn't introduce the new character into this chapter...SHE'll come later in the story, but since i know you guys want her, she'll come. **

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	16. Realization

"Harmony's missing again." Attina's voice sighed, as it floated across the room. The relaxing adult's looked up shocked at the oldest princess, as Attina sat down next to her husband, Darren on the comfortable couch.

"_Again_?" Andrina's voice wondered, as her mind tried to find a way around it. Her niece was missing once again...but why? Her husband, Bennett beside her stiffened in shock at the news.

"What happened?" Arista questioned slowly, looking up to her eldest sister in confusion, as she took her head off of Myron, her husband, shoulder and sat up fully. Glancing back at her husband, she saw him straighten up to in confusion as to what was going on too.

"Apparently, she ditched a ball to go to her school dance." Attina started, but was cut off by one of her sister's of course.

"So? How many times did we ditch something as teenagers that we thought was stupid?" Aquata challenged the first sentence, as she looked at her sisters. They all had done it at some point in time, ditched something they thought wasn't very fun to go to somewhere more fun. She felt Joshua, her husband, place a restraining hand on her shoulder as if telling her silently to let her sister finish.

"True." Attina acknowledged thoughtfully. "But at least Daddy knew where we were when we ditched, and we didn't come home at two in the morning." Attina said with a heavy sigh, letting herself relax in Darren's arms.

"Two in the morning?! No school dance could ever end that late! Was she with a boy?" Adella sputtered out her first two sentences, but quickly regained herself on her last sentence when Marc, her husband, touched her wrist lightly to tell her to calm down.

"If she was with a fourteen year old boy, at two in the morning...." Alana's husband, Reid, let the thought trail off as his words couldn't be spoken without being considered a bit too...improper. Though, everyone knew what he was saying.

"Well, she didn't tell Ariel anything about being with a boy." Attina said patiently, though her patience was quickly fading. Every time she opened her mouth, someone had to cut in! "Anyway, she came back home at two in the morning...and things just got worse from there. She got into some sort of fight with Ariel about her future---though, you can't really trust _Ariel_ for remembering this correctly---and she ranaway last night, or, rather, morning." Sighing, Attina finished up what had happened to her niece, as the adults started to converse about the girl missing quietly with themselves.

"When will she learn?" Alana sighed, shaking her head.

"Who? Harmony?" Darren questioned his sister in law, as she shook her head and sighed again.

"No. Ariel." Alana said quietly, as her sister's snapped their heads in her direction immediately at the name of their youngest sibling. Though Ariel was now a woman, with her own children and her own life as a human, they still had those odd feelings of being protective of her, even when she wasn't around.

"Ariel? Alana, if Jessie came home at two in morning, you'd be furious!" Attina stated with truth in her voice, as her sister nodded at the words, knowing they were correct.

"True. But, for Harmony to runaway it must have taken something Ariel said to make her just snap." Alana started, pausing for a minute to collect her thoughts. "And after all that Harmony's been through because of her parents' mistakes...well, it's not like this wasn't coming."

"You do have a point." Joshua said with grim in his voice. "But it's still awful that Harmony is missing. Does Ariel even have a clue where she might be?" Joshua was usually quiet, unlike his wife, Aquata who had no problem expressing herself. In their case, opposites attracted.

"She said there were only three places Harmony could be...and she's positive that she's in this world." Attina started, pursing her lips at the three things before continuing. "She said one of the places is on land, and they've already checked there with no luck. The other two could be on land or in water though." Attina sighed as she let her head rest on her husband's bare strong chest. Darren was so much and more than what she'd wished for.

"And those two places are...?" Darren asked, the rumbling of his chest when his voice spoke soothing Attina's confusion right now.

"Either a library, or somewhere where there's no one around, and instruments." Attina sighed, knowing that while the first one could be checked easily, the second couldn't.

"Huh!" Arista gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock as she realized it. Yes....of course! It made perfect sense. Eleven heads turned to face her, each set of eyes in wonderment what she might have to say. Even Myron, her husband, looked confused as to what she had figured out. "The Catfish Club." She whispered, her blue eyes wide as she remembered the place.

"The Catfish Club?" Andrina's slow voice put together, shuddering at the memory that place held. The last time anyone had seen that place Triton had discovered his daughters were listening to music, and had sealed the place up with his trident. Bennett let his arms hold her protectively, and she didn't complain, needing his touch right now to block out the memories.

"Yes the Catfish Club!" Arista said wide eyed, excitement ringing in her tone as she had figured it out. "I bet Harmony found it, unsealed it with her powers, and is hiding in it! It's a place where no one is around, _and_ there's music." She stated proudly, a smile coming onto her features as a look of understanding passed over each one of her sisters...not so much their husbands though.

"Of course!" Adella said, slapping her hand over her forehead as she suddenly sat up at the logic of her younger sister.

"It makes sense." Attina reasoned wisely, sitting up too. Looking at each of her sisters, she spread a look that they spread onto one another, each knowing what that look meant.

They were going to the Catfish Club.


	17. FAMILY TREE

_**Family Tree**_

**Parents: **Attina & Darren **Children:** Coral (13) Cori (12)

**Parents: **Alana& Reid **Children: ***Jessica (10)

**Parents: **Adella & Marc **Children: ***Azalea (11) Collin (10)

**Parents: **Aquata & Joshua **Children: **Myra (12) *****Emilina(9)

**Parents: **Arista & Myron** Children: ***Ashton(8)

**Parents: **Adrina & Bennett** Children: **Shawn (11) Serene (6)

**Parents: **Ariel & Eric** Children: **Harmony (14) Melody (14)

***Nicknames***

Jessie

Aza

Nina

Ash

* * *

**Don't kill me for not posting alot of Harmony up tonight; i'm planning on doing that tomorrow. Fanfiction is spazzing on me right now for some reason, so I can't review, and I can't read any of my reviews (which I have to read through my email since fanfiction isn't letting me do it through the site) or read any new stories or chapters. I'm sorry :( **

**Okay, so I know it's confusing to keep track of who's married to who, what the kids names are, ages etc. So i created a little list for all of you to always look back on if you get confused (it's also for me too! I can't remember everything so this little list is helping me out!) **

**I know that i'm probably the only author to do this, but don't you just hate it when your in the middle of the story, and you can't seem to remember every body, though the author keeps talking about them. Then you have to flip back through the book, locate the chapter, find the paragraph, and in the end it's like 'Oh. Wow.' Since personally hate having to do that, I have a list for all of you to keep checking that way you never forget!**

**Review the chapter before this one, okay?! And thanks everyone for your reviews on my short stories (and the person who was a critic called "j" on my story 'No Ocean's Too Wide'), they were really nice! Okay so maybe the person who was a critic to my story No Ocean's too Wide wasn't super nice, but I know it's well deserved, considering that that story (in my opinion as the author of it) sucked. It was when I was just developing my technique of writing...and it really is filled with alot of melodrama like you said. Whoever you are "j" I thank you for saying the truth to me. **

**OKILI DOKILI SO I"M SICK and I"M TIRED! GOODNIGHt YA"LL! **

**Maybe I'll take a little break from Harmony after this story is finished, and start doing little short stories with Ariel's sisters...hmmm....**


	18. Catfish Memories and Drum Solo's

"_This ain't a song for the broken-hearted  
No silent prayer for the faith-departed  
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd  
You're gonna hear my voice  
When I shout it out loud...._

_It's my life  
It's now or never  
I ain't gonna live forever  
I just want to live while I'm alive  
(It's my life)  
My heart is like an open highway  
Like Frankie said  
I did it my way  
I just wanna live while I'm alive  
It's my life_

_This is for the ones who stood their ground  
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down  
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake  
Luck ain't even lucky  
Got to make your own breaks_

Better stand tall when they're calling you out  
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down

_It's my life  
And it's now or never  
I ain't gonna live forever  
I just want to live while I'm alive  
(It's my life)  
My heart is like an open highway  
Like Frankie said  
I did it my way  
I just want to live while I'm alive  
'Cause it's my life!"  
_

Beats started pouring out of the drum, as Harmony sang lyrics that just formed in her mind. The music enveloped her as she crashed the sticks against the symbol, and then pounding them against the snare. A laugh sounded from her throat as she kept pounding against the drum, finally finishing with her solo as she held her sticks up high in the air, her face flushed with excitement as she turned toward the imaginary crowd before her. Though, Harmony's eyes went wide when she realized she wasn't alone in the room.

"Gah!" Harmony gasped, dropping her drum sticks as she fell back in shock at seeing her Aunts in the room, each of them staring at her in amazement. "Don't freaking scare me like that!" Harmony said, gaining some composure as she slowly stood up in the water.

"Harmony, that was wonderful." Attina's voice finally said, once she'd regained it. Harmony sounded _better_....Athena had. She sounded almost magical, other worldly...it was a type of voice that could put everyone else's to shame.

"Uh...thanks. I guess." Harmony said, as she felt a crimson blush come full on and she stared at her fins. "Why are you guys here? I mean...how did you find me?" Harmony asked in a quiet voice, setting the drum sticks back on the drum set.

"Lucky guess." Arista said with a smile to her young niece, wrapping her arms around the girl for a moment in a hug. It was creepy to see the club like this...so abandoned and forsaken. Though, Harmony had done a good job cleaning the place up...but it still didn't look like it had all those years ago.

"Your mother's worried about you." Attina's gentle voice said as she hugged Harmony too, relieved that she'd found the girl. Last time she'd seen Ariel the woman was practically on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

"I know." Harmony said smoothly, her face as blank as a new sheet of paper. So what if her mother was worried for her? The woman had practically said that the only thing Harmony could do with her life would be to become Queen one day...but the girl had bigger dreams than that.

"You know?" Aquata repeated, furrowing her brows at the question. It was strange...not at all what she'd expected the girl to say. She'd thought the girl would be surprised at the fact her mother was worried...but she didn't.

"If you knew...why didn't you go back?" Alana asked gently, as Harmony sighed and looked longingly towards the instruments.

"I just wanted to cool off for a bit." Harmony stated softly, before continuing with her sentence. "And there's no way in hell I would be able to do it at home." Harmony sighed, running her fingers through her bangs. She'd already sent Emma back home, since it was already starting to get dark and her parents would worry.

"What do you mean?" Adella wondered, as Harmony shook her head, grimacing. She'd said too much...now they'd tell Ariel and Ariel would try to talk to her about it. But how could you talk about something like that?

"Never mind." It didn't go past Harmony that her Aunts exchanged an apprehensive look at that, but before they could start asking her questions about it, Harmony grabbed her spell book and started to look through it for the spell to turn back into a human. Harmony had since realized that everything had to come from somewhere. If she wanted a hot fudge sundae, that would have had to come from somewhere, and when she finished it had to go back to that place.

"What the..." Harmony quietly muttered to herself, coming across an unfamiliar spell. She'd thought she'd been through all the pages! But...this one...what in the....? Quickly scanning through it, her eyes went wide as she then looked back up at her Aunts.

"How long as my grandmother been....dead?" The girl wondered, as her Aunts took a sudden breath in at that, all of their faces grim or sad just thinking about it. Amazing that after so many years that could still happen.

"26 years." Attina answered in a whisper soft voice, as Arista put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Why?"

"Just wondering." Harmony said quickly, before switching subjects. "Do I have to go home now?" Her voice sighed, as her Aunts, grateful for the subject change looked at each other in amusement.

"You don't really _have_ to...but your mother is really worried about you." Aquata said with a small smile to the girl's groan. Oh how the girl reminded her of Ariel! Those big blue eyes, that bright uncontrollable red hair...it was like seeing Ariel right in front of them as a fourteen year old girl again.

"Think I'll get in trouble for running away?" Harmony wondered, as her Aunts shared a laugh, though the girl didn't get the joke. What was so funny about that?

"Probably your mother will just be glad you're safe and at home." Adrina stated, with a wink to her sisters who laughed still. Just like Ariel....

"I'll take you back home." Attina offered with an amused smile, as Harmony sighed and grabbed her book bag, slinging it across her shoulder. At least she'd managed to do some homework with Emma...well, copy off of Emma's homework actually, but whatever.

* * *

**Okay, so i know i wasn't very good and i didn't post last night, but I'm sick. No, not faking sick. Actually 102.4 sick, so I couldn't really post it up last night. :( I'm sorry. **

**Song: By Bon Jovi, It's My Life...it's a really great song! I started listening to it, and then i fell in love. I sadly, don't own it...though, if Bon Jovi is willing to sell the song rights, I have about 84 cents saved up! **

**XJadeRainx Obviously, the chicken crossed the road so that he wouldn't get eaten by the chupacabra, and then the chupacabra was chasing the chicken because the Scooby Doo gang was trying to figure out who was under the mask and they were trying to figure who was under the mask so they had a solid excuse for when they got caught by border portral for jumping the border. Duh. **

**So....yeah! **


	19. Angry Teenage Witch Run The Hell Away

Ariel, quite literally, was in distress. No, not just distress. Panicked distress, guilty distress...that kind of distress. Already the sun was starting to set, marking the end of the day, which didn't help Ariel out one bit. Where was Harmony?! Sick? Cold? Safe? She wasn't in the woods, she wasn't in the giant banyan tree at the edge of town...she most likely wasn't in the sea, for Ariel knew the girl hated to be a mermaid....where was she?!

"Love, you should rest. If any news comes I'll wake you up immediately." Eric's pleading voice reached Ariel's ears as she sighed and stopped her nervous pacing in the entrance hall to stare up at him.

"What if she's hurt?" Ariel asked, her fingers going to her mouth, ripping off the last of her nails. "Oh Eric, what if she's already dead?!" Ariel wailed, her throat closing up at just the thought of it.

"She isn't dead Ariel." Eric stated, feeling fairly confident at his words. "She's just...runaway, but we'll find her. There are search parties everywhere." Eric's reason would not get into Ariel's mind as she immediately started thinking of other possibilities of what could have happened to her daughter. Last time the girl had runaway, she nearly died!

"And apparently, they aren't doing a good job since no one could find me. Then again, I wasn't on land for most of the day." A voice stated, as Eric and Ariel swirled around to see a cocky teenager leaning against the wall, her clothes soaking wet as though...she'd just come from the sea.

"Harmony!" Ariel's voice was the first to cry out, as she had her daughter in her arms in moments. The girl struggled for a moment, trying to get out of her mother's arms, but when she realized it was fruitless, she sighed and let herself be hugged. "Oh god! You don't know how worried we were! We had no idea where you were...oh god!" Ariel murmured, her voice muffled by her daughter's hair.

"Yeah, that's great in all, but can you like, stop squeezing me? It's kind of hurting." Harmony said, as her mother dropped her arms from the girl, instead of hugging her gently tucking a lock behind her ear.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." Ariel whispered, biting her lip as the girl shrugged it off, as though she'd been home the entire day, and her parents hadn't been worrying about if she was alright of not.

"Yeah so am I." Harmony said in a voice that just passed it off as though it was nothing more than a simple 'how do you do'. In truth, what did she have to be sorry about? Yes, she was sorry for coming back home so late...but she wasn't sorry that she'd ditched that stupid ball. She wasn't sorry that her mother had been worrying; the woman deserved it.

"You're all wet!" Eric's voice finally cut through the moment, saving Harmony from having to say what she was sorry about. The girl looked up at the relieved face of her father, grinning as she shook her head fiercely, letting drops of water go onto her mother who grimaced.

"Come on, you're going to take a bath before you end up sick in bed, _again_." Ariel said, half dragging the girl to the bathroom. The teen complained a lot about how she didn't need her mother to scrub her down, since she was perfectly able to do it herself...but Ariel just rolled her eyes at the girl and kept scrubbing at her skin until all the sand, and sea water came out.

"I've got the first soccer practice of the season tomorrow, so I'll probably come home later than usual." Harmony said, breaking the comfortable silence between her and her mother as Ariel brushed out the girl's now clean long red locks.

"Soccer?" Ariel questioned, drawing out the word slowly. "With your grades?" Ariel's voice wondered, as Harmony nodded, carefully looking at her mother through the mirror. Ariel sighed, gritting her teeth together as she thought of it.

"Honey...as your mother...I'm sorry but...tomorrow you're going to start to be tutored, _at the palace_, with your sister." Ariel's soft voice chimed, as she didn't stop brushing her daughter's hair so that it wouldn't upset the girl too much. Though, how Harmony couldn't be upset at this news, would be a miracle.

"N-No. I'm going to school tomorrow...I don't want to be fucking tutored!" Harmony said, standing up as she pushed her vanity chair back down. Ariel sighed, and calmly placed the brush back on the table and looked at her daughter carefully.

"Language Harmony." Ariel's sharp voice said, before taking on a gentler tone. "Whether you become Queen or not in the future....well, that's the future, not right now. What is right now is that you're still going to get an education. Obviously, you're not getting much of one in..._Nebraska _because you come home and you spend hours doing your homework, and you still don't understand the material." Ariel said in a calm voice, stating the facts.

"I'll lose all my friends if I'm tutored! I'll miss the last school dance, and I won't be able to say sex jokes during my lunch period, when I'm with my friends! Can't I just finish out the rest of my three years before you pull me out?!" Harmony shouted at her mother, fury in her voice. Ariel was just calm though, as she looked her daughter up to down for a moment.

"I'm sorry sweetie...but my mind is made up. Tomorrow morning you and your sister are going to be tutored, _in the palace_, together. If your grades come up then you can play soccer...until then there's no real reason for you to leave the palace on weekdays." Ariel's calm voice said, as Harmony stamped her foot in anger, as though she was one of those spoiled girls who's Daddy's bought them an entire party...and they hated it all.

"URGH!" Harmony shouted, storming away from her mother and into her room. Locking both doors with just a flick of her wrist, her anger was unmistakable to miss as she grabbed her pack of cigarettes.

* * *

**Uh oh, REVIEW!**


	20. Will the Pattern Repeat?

Taking only one out of the pack, Harmony ignored the pounding and hollow threats that were coming from the other side of the door as she opened up her balcony doors. Easily lighting the 'death stick', the girl put to her mouth and exhaled in relief as she saw smoke come out.

There, _now_ she felt better. Forcing every thought that reminded her of her mother and her little announcement out of her head, the girl just started to think of other things. It was already evening Harmony noticed finally when she felt no presence of warmth on her skin, but instead cool spring air blowing gently.

They must be in the middle of dinner, Harmony mused to herself silently. She should go down and join them...but what was the point? Shaking her red locks out from her face, she gave a silent sigh before taking another long swig of the cigarette and releasing it all in one air.

She hated the taste of nicotine, come to think of it. It tasted like tar, or something around those lines. But, it was like a type of medicine to her. She needed it to calm down, so she didn't start to freak out...yes, the girl realized to herself, she was addicted to them.

But she was addicted to them like her parents were addicted to ruining her life. It was like a pattern of some sorts, or a dance where every step is always the same. Yell (or speak furiously), runaway, say sorry, forgive, happy family. It always happened to _her_, Harmony realized suddenly. It was as though there was some type of curse planted on her, and now she was just repeating history over and over again.

_Say you're sorry  
That face of an angel comes out  
Just when you need it to_

How many times had they said 'sorry' to her?

_As I pace back and forth all this time  
'Cause  
I honestly believed in you  
_

Every time, over and over again she put her trust in them.

_Holdin' on,  
The days drag on  
Stupid girl  
I should've known, I should've known_

Would the cycle repeat itself one last time?

_  
That I'm not a princess  
This ain't a fairytale  
I'm not the one who'll get her fairy tale And live happily ever after_

Would her Happily Ever After...come true?

_I ain't from Hollywood I'm from a small town  
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down every time  
It just might be too late for you and your White Horse,  
To come around._

If the cycle repeated itself...she'd be hurt again...did she really want to go through with that?

_Maybe I was naïve,  
Got lost in your lies  
I never really had a chance.  
My mistake I didnt know to be loved  
You had to fight to have the upper hand. _

Was she really that unlovable?

_I had so many dreams in my small town  
Happy endings;  
Now I know_

Everyone of her dreams back in Nebraska had ended happily...how stupid she'd been.

And there you are on your knees  
Begging for forgiveness,  
Begging for me  
Just like I always wanted,  
But I'm so sorry

Every time that happened, she got hurt...could she survive it again?

_It just might be too late for you and your White Horse  
This time around."_

_

* * *

_

**Okay, so i'm home sick from school, so I decided to at least post up two chapters today. The song is, as most of you probably know, by Taylor Swift, White Horse. I messed around with alot of the lyrics though, so it doesn't really sound like the original. I was just surfing through songs on my Ipod, (okay so maybe I was looking for songs to use in this fanfic!) and i found this one...I thought it might fit in. So...pretty much, I don't own this song. Taylor Swift does. **

**Speaking of Taylor Swift...did you see the VMA's sunday night? Wasn't that embarrassing what Kanye did to her? Though, I think I should probably tell all of you (or the ones that don't already know) that it was all planned out. MTV always has something SHOCKER worthy during the VMA's, so everyone talks about it the next day and then the following year more people watch so that they can see if it will happen again. If you don't believe me, then think of the facts this way. **

**1. Why would Taylor Swift coincidencely backstage when Beyonce called her up on the real stage? Hadn't her song ended at least an hour before? **

**2. Why the hell would Kanye do that to her? Though I don't particularily like him much (he acts like a spoiled rich boy in my opinion) he isn't an idiot. He wouldn't dare do that unless it'd been planned. **

**3. When accepting an award, do you really want to call up the person who you were battling against to get the award? **

**Anyway...did you see Lady Gaga's performance?! I loved it! And Pink was amazing! But I think Green Day won best performance, because they called people on stage, and he started to run through the crowd...it was awesome! **

**Back to my fanfic though...what did you guys think of Harmony's realization? Review and tell me! **

**Also..good job to xJadeRainx for posting up more chapters! YAY! **

**Aurore Goddess of Dawn...I wonder about why you posted lyrics when you reviewed...hm...pure randomness?**


	21. Tucking In Teenagers is SO Lame

"Honey, lights out." Ariel called into Harmony's room, as she saw her daughter still had a night candle on. Walking into the room, she sat on the girl's bed, and waited for her daughter to start talking. Harmony was sitting up in bed, her nightgown on as she was sitting up in her bed, but she wasn't tucked into the sheets yet. She was too hot after smoking to get into covers yet.

"Harmony, I know your upset with your father's and I's decision to have you tutored...but don't think of this negatively. Think of it in a positively...if your tututored than you can finally understand the material. You won't have so much homework....and you'll be with your sister." Ariel said softly, letting her fingers brush against her daughter's cheek. The girl kept her head down, not looking at her mother.

"Oh sweetheart don't be mad at me. You know I'm only looking out for your best intentions." Ariel said, lifting up her daughter's chin in her knuckle. The girl had tears in her eyes, as she tried to bring her head away. Ariel kept the girl's head up though, keeping it in front of her. "Now, why are you crying?" Ariel asked in a gentle voice.

"I don't want to be tutored. I'm going to lose all my friends...I won't be able to complain about how the school lunch is poisoness...please don't make me go." Harmony pleaded, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to lose all her best friends...she didn't want to not graduate from high school...she hated this.

"Sweetie, if they're your real friends you won't lose them. I became human, but I didn't lose Flounder's friendship and the same with your 'Uncle' Urchin." Ariel said gently, wiping away her daughter's tears with her thumb. "As for lunch...well, at least it'll be better if you eat at home. Watch, and everything will be fine sweetie. I promise." Ariel's motherly voice said as Harmony's blue eyes fell to her hands. She hated being so vulnerable....especially in front of the person who had made her feel vulnerable so many times in the past year.

"I'm still pissed off at you." Harmony said, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. Ariel's brow's raised at her daughter's language, her expression warning at her daughter's language.

"Once again, that's not appropriate language Harmony." Ariel said in a sharp voice, as Harmony rolled her eyes but stayed quiet all the same. "You'll be fine tomorrow. It's not the end of the world." Ariel voice was gentler, less sharpness in her voice.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who's getting pulled from high school. You sure I have to do this?" Harmony's voice was quiet, unsure of itself at the thought of having to be pulled out of her school and go to tutoring. Though, she might be able to put this to her advantage....maybe even make her parents regret taking her out of high school...

"Everything will be fine tomorrow, don't worry." Ariel assured in a gentle tone, tucking a strand of her daughter's red hair behind her ear. "Get to sleep, alright? I don't want you falling asleep during math tomorrow." Ariel chuckled, taking the book away from her daughter's hand and placing it on the nightstand. Ariel noticed the girl was reading some sort of spell in her spell book, but she didn't read Atlantican so she wouldn't know what the spell said. Shaking her head from those thoughts, Ariel grabbed the covers and tucked her daughter into bed.

"Goodnight sweetie." Ariel whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead. Then blowing out the candle, she walked out of the girl's room, seeing as how the girl was already fast asleep.

Harmony opened one eye carefully when she heard the door of her room shut softly. She waited until she heard her mother's footsteps retreat down the hall, and then sat up in her bed, pushing off the covers.

"Idiot." Harmony muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes at her mother's stupidity. Who the hell left a teenager alone in her room, at eleven at night, in a palace? Sometimes, that woman really had no common sense. Grabbing her book bag, Harmony started searching around for something important. Finally finding it, the girl took it out of her bag easily.

Quickly, she started dialing Emma's number on Em's cell phone. Em had a private phone line in her room, so she frequently lent Harmony her cell phone to call whenever she needed to. Harmony had an iPhone, true, but what good is an iPhone, if you can't turn it on? Her adopted parents had shut off her phone line when they'd kicked her out...though; she had gotten an iTouch, _free!_ from a certain radio shack....

"Em? It's Kat. You said that there was a beer blast tomorrow at whose place again?"

* * *

**Uh oh, what are you planning Harmony? Beer blast? What are you going to do?! GAH! Find out if you review!**

**Soo, I think i posted up another story--It's called Two Sisters, Two Secrets, One Outcome--it's on little mermaid fanfiction, though for some reason it's not showing up for some reason. Anyway, review that story...I just thought for that one i'd take a little break from Harmony--don't worry, it was only for that one story that i took a break from Harmony, i'm not stopping the Harmony series, don't worry. **

**OOH! I'm watching that 70's show! Haha, this is the show where Eric and Donna first have sex, and then Eric was really bad and then Jackie tells him not to worry because Kelso was really bad his first time too. **

**SO, review both my one shot, and this chapter!**


	22. Just Another Family Breakfas Gone Wron

"Go away!" Harmony groaned, as she put her pillow over her head. Ariel sighed a frustrated sigh, but kept trying to wake up the teen. How in the world did she get up on her own to go to school every morning? Honestly, the girl was up at 7:30 every weekday, but when it's time to get up at 8:00, the girl couldn't do it!

"Honey, it's time to wake up." Ariel tried once more time to wake up the teen. The girl only groaned and pulled the pillow tighter over her ears and eyes. Ariel sighed; it didn't look like she'd be able to get Harmony up any time soon. Then, a thought occurred to her and she slowly smiled. "_You can eat chocolate for breakfast_...." Ariel sang out the words slowly, letting them sink into Harmony's mind.

Harmony shot up in bed, her red hair in a million different directions, and her eyes wild and dancing at the thought of candy for breakfast. "Really?!" Harmony asked, not understanding the joke her mother had played on her.

"Get dressed, come downstairs and find out. Oh and for the sake of all that's good in this world, _brush out your hair_." Ariel stated, stifling a laugh at the sight of her daughter's hair. Making sure her expression was completely blank so she didn't start laughing; she walked out of the girl's room.

"I swear if there's no candy..." Harmony let the sentence off at that, as she jumped out of bed. Her stomach growled angrily at the thought of food, and she sighed as she pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, a black tee shirt, and a hippie fringe jacket. Then pulling on her hippie headband, she looked into the mirror.

"Perfect." Harmony said with a mischievous smile to herself. Her parents wanted her to go to tutoring; she'd wear something 'inappropriate'. Just wait 'till tomorrow, when she wore a mini skirt and fishnets...wait. Did she even _own_ a mini skirt....or fishnets? Okay, well, maybe she'd just stick to a pair of jeans and a tank top for tomorrow...or maybe she'd deal with what she'd wear for tomorrow _tomorrow_ morning.

" 'Mornin." Harmony said, before sitting into her seat at the dining table. She noticed her parents eyeing what she was wearing, before her mother sighed deeply at something.

"Honey...can't you wear something more..._appropriate_ to be tutored today? Something like...one of your dresses?" Ariel wondered, as she stared at her daughter's outfit for the day. Sometimes the girl could wear the oddest things!

"But I look like a modern hippie when I wear this!" Harmony stated her point, as both her parents sighed, but left the subject alone. They might not know what Hippie meant...or what the hell their daughter was wearing...but sometimes it was better not to question. "Didn't you say I could eat chocolate for breakfast?" Harmony questioned, as she stared at her mother who couldn't hold it in any longer; she started laughing.

"I had to get you out of bed somehow." Ariel said with a smile, brushing back a lock of her daughter's out of control hair. "You didn't brush your hair out, did you?" Ariel asked, as her daughter shrugged and put her head down, half asleep again as she randomly started putting bites of food into her mouth.

"Time to go to class, the both of you." Eric finally said with a grin as breakfast was finished. Both girls grimaced at the thought of it, each without knowing it having matching expressions.

"Yay. I'm so _damn _excited. Can't you see how I'm just jumping for joy at the fact that I'm leaving high school and all my best friends behind in a world that I now have no reason to go back to?" Harmony said with sarcasm thick in her voice. Her parents exchanged a look with one another, a worried one, before turning to Melody.

"Melody...watch out for your sister today, alright?" Ariel said in a loving motherly voice that immediately made Harmony want to throw up. They were going to make Melody spy on her....the bastards!

"I don't need to be spied on, thank you very much." Harmony said curtly, getting out of her chair and grabbing Melody's arm. The girl looked confused as to what was happening, and looked back at their parents to see if they could do anything about it.

"Harmony....." Eric's voice was lost to the girl as she sped the hell out of the dining room and into the gates of hell, more formally known as tutoring.

"Do you still think she'll thank us for this one day?" Ariel wondered, leaning her head against Eric's shoulder as she sighed. What was she to do? Harmony had these awful mood swings, and she wasn't even acknowledging the fact that her parents were trying to do something right by her for once.

"At the way she's going...I honestly don't know." Eric sighed, but then forced the thought of his daughter out of his mind and focused on his wife who looked as though she was going to fall asleep on his shoulder. "But I do know that someone owes me a certain kiss." Eric said as his lips fell onto his wife's. Though, it wasn't a moment of euphoria for them like it usually was, for they had more important thoughts on their minds. Like, what the day would hold for Harmony.


	23. Romeo & Juliet, A Tragic Hate Story

"....now, if you'll turn to page one in the novel....." Mr. Montgomery, or known to Harmony as 'Mr. Monty', said in a droning voice. Melody quickly started flipping pages in the book and when she found the page, looked up at her teacher with a beaming smile. Harmony just sat there letting her eyes flickering from thing to thing in the room.

"Your highness, since you're paying so much attention, can you tell me what the story of _Romeo & Juliet _is about?" The question was directed at Harmony, as Melody turned to the girl and then back at the teacher with a slowly raising hand. Harmony rolled her eyes at her sister and stared straight at her teacher.

Mr. Monty, as Harmony called him was a plump man. He reminded Harmony of an umpa lumpa, though not as short. His hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and he was wearing pants and a nice shirt and jacket over the shirt. Though Harmony had been in his class before, once, she'd never really noticed how old he looked, though he couldn't be a day over forty...or maybe fifty looking at all those wrinkles.

"_Romeo & Juliet_ is about two idiotic teenagers." Harmony said in a snort of a voice, crossing her arms over chest in defiance.

Mr. Monty gave a silent sigh, trying not to let it show how much he hated this. Melody was a good student; she paid attention, asked questions, answered questions...the ideal student. Then came Harmony, her identical twin. The girl had a brilliant mind, Mr. Monty was sure of it, but she refused to pay any attention. She hated being in class, with him and her sister, instead of at a normal school with children her own age. Needless to say, Mr. Monty couldn't blame her.

"Melody, can you give a more accurate definition of the story?" Mr. Monty said staring at Melody who beamed at being called. Harmony rolled her blue eyes, and stifled a yawn. Letting her eyes once again flicker from thing to thing in the room, she became more aware of her feelings of hate for this classroom.

"_Romeo & Juliet_ is a love story between Romeo Montague, and Juliet Capulet. Kind of like our parents, right Harmony?" Melody asked with a playful push to her sister. The girl gave her a scowl in return, muttering something under her breathe about how the next time Melody touched her she'd turn her into a bug and crush her with her foot.

"That's a very nice definition, princess." Mr. Monty in a very teacherish voice, as Harmony saw it. She'd never understand how teachers could almost be considered cool for one minute, and then the next they use this voice that makes you regret ever thinking that about them.

"No, it's not." Harmony challenged, sitting up in her desk. Four eyes stared at her wonderingly, each thought hoping that this wouldn't turn out bad. "Juliet wasn't in love with Romeo! Romeo was her very first crush, and every girl thinks the first guy she falls head over heels for is 'the one'." Harmony said with hardness in her eyes, and before Mr. Monty could start correcting her, Melody cut him off.

"But it wasn't a crush; it was love because Romeo loved her back!" Melody protested, clinging to her romantic illusion. "And they got married, and they couldn't live without one another, so they died together. It's not that he was Juliet's first crush, it's that he was her true love. It's romantic." Melody said with a wistfull smile on her face, just thinking about it.

"Romantic." Harmony snorted at the word. "How is it romantic that they die in the end Melody? 'They couldn't live without one another' give me a break! Juliet could have very well just took one look at Romeo, and decided that since she's thirteen she's going to live with the fact that he's dead! But noo, she decides that 'she can't live without him'! Why does she hold onto the hope that she'll talk to him again one day?! He's never coming back, he's six feet under!" Harmony spat out angrily, shaking with rage. "Dying for love isn't romantic, it's idiotic! So what if he loves you and you tell him you don't love him back? Why is that considered 'heroic' if he decides to kill himself over the fact that you don't love him in that way?! How is it heroic if you _**die**_?!Why can't Juliet just go on with her stupid life, even though he's dead?! Is Juliet so damn stupid that she can't deal with the fact that her brother is dead?!" Harmony shouted at the top of her lungs, standing now as her eyes burned with crystal fire.

Flames licked at her fingertips, as Mr. Monty and Melody stared open mouthed at the girl, not knowing what to say. What could Mr. Monty do? Tell the girl to go sit in the corner, as though she was a child? Or perhaps tell her parents and have them deal with her because he couldn't deal with a crazy teenager? Thankfully, Melody spared him in doing any of this.

"You said brother." Melody whispered softly, biting her bottom lip as she slowly looked up at her sister. Harmony seemed caught off guard at what she'd said. Her blue eyes were wide and...tortured as she stared off into space. She could see it now, she could see it so clearly. How she's watching blood pour from his open wound...how she's screaming but it's making no sound...everything was just passing in front of her eyes again.

"I-I've got to go." Harmony said quickly as she felt her eyes start to brim with tears. Clutching at her necklace, she ran from the room in a hurry. She paid the servants no mind as they gave her surprised glances. At her tears, at her clothes, at her actually being in the palace, who knows? Harmony didn't know....and didn't care either. She ran until she was in her room, and shutting the door behind her, she collapsed against the door. And as she sobbed, she asked herself the one question she just couldn't answer.

"Why me?"


	24. Parenting and Dentention Both Suck

"Harmony?" An unsure voice asked, as a knuckle rapped against the girl's girl. There was no answer. Slowly, the girl's door creaked open, allowing light into the dark room. Ariel's eyes scanned the room for a moment, before deeming that her daughter must be hiding, or she must have left a note saying where she was in the palace.

Walking to the girl's bed, Ariel's slender finger's caught a ripped out note from probably one of the girl's binders of paper. Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness for a moment, Ariel tried to read the note with no success. Sighing, she walked to the curtains and opened them up, momentarily wincing at the sunlight that streamed through. But having enough light now, Ariel started to read the note.

_Dear Mom, Dad, and Melody_

_I know you wanted me to be tutored with Melody...but I just can't do it. I'm going back to High School, at least for now. I'm sorry for letting you down. And...I'm sorry for not being a good daughter. I'll come back later and pick up my stuff...'cuz who would want to raise a failure, anyway right?_

_See ya then_

_Harmony_

The note noiselessly fell from Ariel's fingers, as she managed to sit down on her daughter's bed. Her expression was blank, her mind was blank...everything just seemed so blank to her right now. She just sat on Harmony's bed, her blue eyes taking in the sunlight, but not wincing as the rays were just a little too bright. Her mouth hung open in an 'O', though no sound came out as suddenly thoughts started to come into her head. She acknowledged none of them.

"Ariel? Love, I thought you went looking for Harmony an hour ago!" Eric said as he came into his daughter's room to see Ariel just sitting on the girl's bed. , Eric came beside his wife on the bed. She seemed....what did she seem like? It was so hard to tell as she had her red hair covering most of her face. "What's this?" He wondered aloud, seeing a white piece of ripped paper on the ground.

Grabbing the note easily, he read it through before setting it beside him and gently pushing back Ariel's red hair so that it was neatly tucked behind her ear. She stared straight ahead, not really paying attention as she felt Eric wrap his arms around her.

"Why would she say that?" Eric wondered softly, hoping to get a response from his wife. Why would Harmony say that she would 'come back later to pick up' her things, because no one would want to raise a failure?

"Eric, do you know how many times we've done awful things to her?" Ariel's soft voice said, letting the hurt show through. "The last time....we sent her out in the middle of winter because of what we thought had happened. We yelled at her...she was so scared...she must think we wouldn't want her because....of what we've done." Ariel said with a little sigh, swallowing the lump in her throat. How it hurt her to know that her daughter was in pain...and she'd caused it. "And now...she's somewhere out there, and we have no idea how she's feeling."

A giggle erupted from one side of the room, as all twenty heads in the room stared at the person who had just laughed. Each set of eyes was watching inquisitively, as the teacher put down her book and turned to the girl with flashing eyes.

"Is something funny? Really, tell me, because I'd hate to be left out." Ms. Anderson's voice sneered, standing over the girl's desk. Instead of recoiling in her seat as Harmony usually would have done, she slowly turned her head upwards as she looked at her teacher as though she were no more than a bug.

"Than you're going to hate it even more when I tell you that you can stay left out of the joke." Harmony stated, as mouths gasped at the girl's words, kids' minds starting to buzz with the simple rebellion going on.

Lizzie's eyes went wide as she stared at her best friend, her fingers tightly clutching the ends of her desk as her heart started to beat fast. Please don't let her see the note, please don't let her see the note, Lizzie silently prayed, but it was no use. Ms. Anderson, who's chubby but sharp face twisted into a scowl as she snatched the note from Harmony's hands. Looking over it a moment, an evil smile crept onto her features as she looked back at the girl.

"Why don't you read this not out loud? I'm sure _everyone_ would _love_ to hear it." There was dark sarcasm in Ms. Anderson's words, as she expected the girl before her to wiggle like a worm on a hook at the realization that she'd been caught. Harmony lazily looked up at her teacher, and shrugged easily. Taking the note from her teacher, she stood up and started to read it.

"_I have a huge crush on Danny....do you think he's hot too?" _Harmony started, as Lizzie sank lower in her seat, knowing that those were her words on the page, but Harmony was taking the rap. Though, Harmony's cheeks burned at reading the note aloud, considering Danny was right in the room, she put the note down on her desk and looked her teacher in the eye.

"You're a bitch, you know that?" Harmony stated, as more gasps flew around, as whispers slowly started to come up. Ms. Anderson's eyes flashed in rage as her plump face started to go red, making her look like a cherry...one ugly cherry that is.

"Detention and I'm calling your parents." Ms. Anderson's victory smile made Harmony's blue eyes flash, as she stared down at her teacher. She was getting angry...she was barely controlling her powers now.

"Whatever you can say to them, you can tell me right now in class." Harmony challenged, as Ms. Anderson faltered. She wasn't used to students going against her rules...actually, none ever had.

"Go to the Dean's office right now!" Ms. Anderson shouted, trying to make herself seem so intimidating. But what she didn't know is that Harmony had faced, and defeated two witches, she'd seen her brother die before her eyes, she'd been locked in jail and kicked out before....she wasn't about to let her teacher bully her any longer.

"I'm not scared of you. You're just a miserable old cat lady who lives alone because no one will ever love you." Harmony pulled her head up in defiance, feeling proud of herself at the shocking rebellion.

This is why three hours later, she was still in detention.

* * *

**Uh oh spagetti-oh's! REVIEW! **

**So, I know it's been awhile since i've done some author notes, so I have to make up for all the time you've missed laughing. So, last night I watched Repo! The Genetic Opera...and I'm still obessing over it. If you haven't seen it, it's a pretty good movie to rent (well I bought it cuz i'm in love!). **

**It's set in the not so distant future of 2056, 26 years after an epidemic of organ (by organ I mean like your heart, lungs...not the piano type, like i first though!) failures devastated the planet. Out of the tragedy, the Company GeneCo, run by Rotti Largo, emerges to provide organ transplants to the needy populace on a financial plan, making it affordable to anyone who needed one. Geneco's payment plans let you cheat death...for now. Rotti passes a bill through congress, and it passes. The bill states that it's legal to have Repo Men (aka assasins) come out and repossess your organs, when you default on your payments. Though, what does all this have to do with seventeen year old Shiloh Wallace, and her Father...and her deceased mother? Sound intresting? WELL THEN RENT IT!  
**

**Anyways, I think you all should know about something very important to me. XJadeRainx asked me this question, and sadly, it made me remember, and I have to answer it. **

**Question: Have you ever ever ever in our long legged life, see a long legged sailor and his long legged wife?**

**Answer: Yes I did. We were all out at sea one day, on the sailors boat, and him and his wife jumped into the deep water. But they could stand up in it, obviously since they had long legs. Well, they started playing a splashing game and...*takes in deep breath* a shark took out all four of thier legs. Now their midgets---er, little people. I thought you all should know. **

**So....who want's to review this chapter (if you still remember it from all my babbling!) ? Anyone...anyone...echoe...echoe....echoe...CHEETTOS ARE GHETTO! REVIEW!!!!!!**


	25. How to Drug Your Teacher 101

One more hour 'till I'm free, Harmony thought silently as she served out her triple detention. Her blue eyes were staring up at the clock, the silence of the room pressing down on her as she tried hard not to think about the last time she'd been in complete silence. Mr. Smith was lazily sprawled on his desk, reading some sort of novel as his pinched face scanned the room only to lie on its only child. Harmony.

"You've got another hour to go you know." Mr. Smith said, as Harmony looked up at him, startled out of her thoughts. She shrugged, and turned back to lying her head down on the school desk, since you weren't allowed to talk...or do anything other than sit there, bored, in detention.

Too bad the beer blast was canceled, Harmony thought to herself silently, sighing. Her friends and her used 'beer blast' as their term for a high school party, which always had beer...not that Harmony was too prone to use it, after the last time when she got drunk. Anyway, the kid's parents came back in town a day early and he had to quickly spread it around school that no one could come over. And Harmony was so looking forward to it too.

"Ohmygod Mr. Smith." Harmony said as a thought formed into her mind. She used a sweet voice as she wrapped a finger around her loose long red hair, tilting it to the side as she knew that was what the airheads did. "It must be so annoying to have to like, babysit me here. If I were you I would have totally, like, just left." Harmony said with a sweet airhead voice, letting the old teacher stare his squinty eyes at her.

"I'm smarter than that young lady. You can't make me leave you here. And no talking!" Mr. Smith snapped, his old voice sounding more like it belonged to a graveyard than a high school. Sighing, Harmony let her shoulders drop in defeat at knowing she'd have to use plan B.

"_Uni on hyvä, että mieli ja sielu, __nukkua_ _ehkä vasta kaksi tuntia menee!" _Harmony let the spell tip off her tongue easily, as she peaked at her spell book in her book bag. Mr. Smith's head snapped up at her speaking, his squinty eyes staring straight at her as an invisible could slowly made its way towards him.

"No talking in detention." The old teacher snapped again, but by the time he said 'detention' his voice was already thick with exhaustion. His eyes slowly drooped as his head started to fall down to his desk. A sudden wave of tiredness hit him, as he yawned and fell into a deep sleep on the desk.

Satisfied with her work, Harmony smirked at the now sleeping teacher as she took her spell book out of her bag. It was easier to say a spell than actually go to place from place, Harmony mused silently to herself, reciting the spell easily with closed eyes.

"If she went to school, she should have been home by now!" Ariel stated, her blue eyes worried as she sat in the study with Eric. He sighed and handed her a glass of wine, to which her eyes switched from worried to confused.

"You," Eric stated as Ariel reluctantly took the dark red wine in her upturned fingers. "need to relax. She's not a little girl Ariel; I'm sure she just went out with some of her friends and she'll be back by dinner. Then we can straighten everything out." Eric said firmly, making himself believe what he'd just told his wife. Ariel looked down at the wine for a moment, moving the cup a little so that the liquid inside of it sashayed before sighing and bringing it to her red lips.

"Thanks." Ariel said, looking up at Eric with sincerity. Though, Eric didn't get the chance to answer, as it was that moment someone decided to speak up.

"For finally understanding I'm not wanted? Then you're welcome." A hurt voice said, as the owner of said voice tried to cover up the hurt by using sarcasm in it. Though the sarcasm couldn't completely hide the pain. "I guess I'll go up to my room and grab my bear." Harmony swiveled around to go out the door, as she was trying hard not to cry.

"Oh, no sweetie! How could you think that honey? Hmm? We love you." Ariel's firm but gentle voice called out, as she quickly placed her glass of wine on the small coffee table and grabbed her daughter before the girl could runaway to the safety of her room...or her library.

"I'm a failure." Harmony whispered, her voice muffled as her mother hugged her tightly. "I can't go be tutored...I'm a freak...my life is one big joke." Harmony said, tearing herself away from her mother long enough...only to be held firmly in place by her father.

"You're not a freak Harmony." Of course she was what blasted idiot couldn't _see_ that?! "Your life has been....different, but in due course it'll get back to normal. And we'll talk about you being tutored." Eric stated, but he knew if his daughter was fooled by this than she was desperate to hang onto something, even if it was a lie.

"See sweetheart? Everything is completely fine." Ariel lied smoothly, brushing out her daughter's hair away from her face, though she refused to look the girl in the eye. How could she tell her daughter that after all she'd put the poor girl through, after all the pushing around Harmony had been through...that she was a freak to her parents still? Honestly, how could she tell her daughter that everything was 'fine' when the girl was running off to wherever she pleased, whenever she pleased, while her parents went into fits of panic because they thought she could be dead. "Now, let's talk about something nicer. Like, why were you so late from school?" Ariel asked in a sweet voice, leading her daughter to the couch. Letting the girl lean against her, Ariel stroked her red hair in a motherly fashion, just trying to soothe the girl from her almost tears.

"I to serve out all three of my detentions after school." Harmony said dismissively, though she knew her parents wouldn't think it was that dismissive. Oh, she knew they were lying to her. She knew they still thought her as a freak, she knew they'd still screw her over in a heartbeat for Melody...but after everything she'd been through, and she just didn't care anymore. As long as she had some type of parents in her life and as long as she had some type of home...she wasn't going to ruin it by asking questions.

"Three? I thought you only got one for---er, _fighting_." Eric's confusion to his daughter's words came out from his mouth, at the same time his head screamed that proper young ladies didn't go around fighting. They dealt with the problem, they didn't use force. They should be proper...not improper.

"Oh I did. I got another two today for telling off my History teacher. She deserved it." Harmony said in a slightly triumphant voice, as she was rewarded with a disapproving glance from her mother.

"What did you say?" Ariel's warning voice asked, as Harmony looked up at her mother and grinned, but revealed nothing except that same crooked smile.

"Tell ya later. I'm gonna go to Atlantica...I'll be back before dinner, promise." There was something she needed to do down there, though her mother looked slightly off at the mention of Harmony going to Atlantica.

"One hour. And then I want you back home, or else your grounded." Ariel stated, pursing her lips out as Harmony sighed, but nodded reluctantly at her mother's request. Ariel had no idea what her daughter was up to, since the girl had made it clear that she disliked being a mermaid...but decided to leave her daughter up to her own vices. She'd talk to the girl tonight. "Be good." Ariel said with a kiss to Harmony's forehead, as the girl grinned, her tears completely forgotten (or so Ariel thought) as she ran out of the study.

"Told you she was fine." Eric said meekly, at Ariel's blue eyes stared at him a moment, before looking at the wine glass that was on the coffee table.

Without a second thought, she grabbed the glass and downed all the wine.

* * *

**Well, that was an interesting chapter. Thanks to Daydreamer747 for reminding me of the dead character :P I'll be honest, I totally forgot about HER until you mentioned it! **

***Hints on who the dead character might be* **

**Not Morgana, Ursula, Amaranth, or Marina. **

**Do you have it? Well, if you do, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! You may gloat and say you know who it is, yadda yadda yadda, but please don't leak out any hints or who the actual person is. I want it to be a surprise :P!**

**So, xJadeRainx posed a very difficult question for me to answer: **

**Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? **

**My answer: Yes, i have. And I also asked the grinning bobcat why he grins. He told it was cuz he just got botox and his face was frozen. **

**Ps. Aurore Goddess of Dawn, I might use your song at the end of my fic, or somewhere in the middle. Be paitient, when the time comes I'll try and use it**


	26. Spells and Boys

"This is crazy. There's an 80% chance you'll die if you go through with this Kat!" Emma's pleas went on, and on, and on, as Harmony merely ignored her broken pleas. The girl looked at her spell book and sighed then, looking up at her cousin and sister.

"How the hell can you catch plankton? Aren't they like, super small?" Harmony's question asked, as Coral pursed her lips and shrugged. Her cousin was going to do something very dangerous, yes, but if she brought that person back alive...well, everyone would rejoice.

"Some of them are big enough to see and catch...but they bite, and it _hurts_." Coral noted, rubbing her hand at the memory of the last time of doing that. Oh her mother had been _so_ happy when she found out her daughter was idiotic enough to try and hold one of those plankton in her hands.

"The spell says that if I can get all the ingredients, I can do this. But...." Harmony didn't want to finish the sentence; because you do you say 'there's _less_ than an 80% chance I'll die if I do this spell'.

"I know this is great 'n' all to bring back--whatever her name is--but Kat, you do realize you can die when doing this spell? Just wait a few years, get more control over your powers and then do it." Emma stated, as Harmony sighed. Of course Emma would have no problem saying that. Of course.

"She does have a point." Coral acknowledged, as Melody sat down on the floor of the catfish club. Well, more sand than floor, but still. Her sister was going to a dangerous spell...though, it might be all for naught. Still...

"They were all kids the last time they saw her though." Melody started slowly, looking up at the group of girls that were all sitting on the sand of the 'Catfish Club.' Though, Harmony knew it more as the abandoned music room. "They must miss her a lot...I say go for it. You're strong enough Harm." Melody contradicted Emma mostly for the point she didn't like the girl...though, it was also because she wanted to get on Harmony's good side again.

"You'll lose twenty six years of your life if you do this." Emma stated to her sister, as Harmony shrugged, waving a dismissive hand at her sister's words. It had been one last desperate attempt to get the girl to listen to her...though, it wasn't working very well.

"Tomato Tom*ato." Harmony said with another dismissive wave of her hand at Emma's words, before leaning closer towards Coral. "Do you think you can get all of these ingredients by Friday, and meet us here at the same time?" Harmony asked in a voice that just _spelled_ trouble.

"Easy. But...don't tell your parents...or any of our Aunts, or Grandfather...or anyone really. Keep it a secret." Coral said firmly, her voice not to be argued with. She had the same iron will as her mother, more really if you think of it. And for that will, she was accepted with the older girls, though she was a year younger than them.

"Why?" Emma questioned in curiosity, as Melody rolled her eyes at the girl's stupidity, though she had no idea why they couldn't talk about it either. Emma caught her eye roll, but Harmony didn't, so there was no way she could have seen Melody shoot Emma an icy look.

"Trust me; if they knew what you were attempting...they _would_ stop you. Somehow, someway. If they had to lock you in---er...um..." Coral couldn't really saying 'they would lock you in jail'...because Harmony had already been locked in jail. She'd eavesdropped on her Mother and Aunts talking about all this one night, and had learned some very interesting things about her cousin's life. Though, it didn't stop her from not liking her cousin.

"In detention." Melody blurted out quickly, as that was the first thing that came to her mind. She couldn't very well use a phrase that included jail, and have her sister back out of her plan. NO! She was doing this for her Grandfather, a birthday present of some sort, though the girl was already outright refusing to attend any party of his. It's not that Harmony hated their grandfather...she was just uncomfortable around the trident, seeing as how at a simple snap of her fingers she could call it to her.

"In jail." Emma quickly translated to Harmony, seeing as how the girl had a confused expression. A look of understanding passed over Harmony, as she nodded her thanks to Emma for not treating her like she was super fragile, and actually saying the statement.

"Friday, meet back here at the same time with all the stuff." Harmony said finally, ignoring their previous cover ups of the word 'jail.' They would never understand...good thing Emma would just roll her eyes and tell her the truth, instead of hiding it.

"Done." Coral agreed, writing the last of the ingredients on her hand so she didn't forget them. "Want to come back to Atlantica...or just chill here?" Coral wondered as she finished writing on her hand and handed the pen back to Emma, mouthing her thanks. Melody had been totally wrong about the girl! Emma was nice...and she treated Harmony like a normal girl, even though she was a princess and a witch.

"That depends." Emma said with all seriousness in her voice. "Does this Atlantis place have any good kissers?" Her voice was completely serious, making Harmony and Coral outright laugh, as Melody stifled her laughter, reminding herself that she hated this girl.

"Well," Coral said with a grin, brushing her hair away from her neck to reveal a purplish black bruise looking mark on it.

"What does my hickey tell you?"

* * *

**WEll, it looks like Coral isn't such a good girl after all! So, have you figured out the mysterious person yet? Review and tell me who you think it is! **


	27. We Seriously Need To Get Along Meals

"You're late." Ariel noted, taking in the ragged appearance of both her daughters. After much begging and pleading, Harmony had relented and sent Emma back home, though why the girl didn't want to sleep over mystified her. But, she wasn't about to dig into other people's business.

"No, I'm Harmony." The girl said with her blue eyes dancing, and the corners of her mouth twitching at her joke. Melody grinned at her sister, before turning back to face her mother and explain...as best she could.

"Serene didn't want to let go of Harmony." Melody filled her mother in, as a slow smile spread to Ariel's lips. Well, at least her daughter was starting to live a semi-normal life, and socializing with her cousins.

"Is that so?" Ariel murmured, brushing her fingers through Harmony's red hair, before straightening up. "Go wash up, the both of you. Dinner is in ten minutes, and I want to see the both of you down there. Wearing _appropriate_ clothes." The last part of the sentence was directed at Harmony, who was still wearing her jeans as her bare feet curled at the coldness at the marble floor.

"'K'." Harmony said, running to her room with incredible speed as she knew she was going to get a lecture from her mother about 'using appropriate grammar'. Melody shot her mother a sorry smile for her sister's behavior, as Ariel laughed and kissed her black head of hair.

Harmony quickly slipped out of her wet clothes, and stepped into the warm water of her bathtub. Ah, that felt good. The warm water came from all sides on her body as she felt the tension in her muscles start to relax as she let herself over to the water. But of course, her thoughts followed her, like always.

Was she really doing to the right thing, bringing her back? Would her family rejoice at her being back...or would they simply be mad at her for endangering her life? Sighing, Harmony brought her hand up to her mouth to start chewing on her nails.

She'd checked the spell a million times over to see if she could forget about that person, and bring back her brother...but of course, like all spells; it said it didn't work on suicides. Harmony supposed she could create a spell that did work on suicides...but how did one make a spell? Did they just put a bunch of words together...or just get random ingredients and use their powers to make the ingredients come to life?

Shaking her red wet locks, Harmony sighed again, closing her eyes as her thoughts pounded against her head in a not so nice way. She supposed that she should go down to dinner now, so she could eat whatever they were eating. Though, her body refused to move out of the tub...the warm water...maybe if she stayed for just a little bit longer...

"'Sup." Harmony said, slipping into her seat at the table as her still went hair clung to her shoulders. Her hair looked actually nice, when wet and brushed out...almost as though it was controllable.

"Use proper grammar Harmony." Eric corrected, as Harmony shot him a hard look and rolled her blue eyes. Ariel smiled in amusement at her oldest daughter, as she shared a look with her husband.

"How's everyone in Atlantica sweetheart?" Ariel asked, in a curious tone, looking straight at her oldest daughter. She was going to talk to her daughter gently, before laying on the big bomb that the girl might potentially want to runaway after she heard it.

"Cool." Harmony answered, as she stifled the urge to just pick up the bread and pop in into her mouth. Noo, she had to cut it and put in her mouth that way. Who the hell cut bread?! Bread was a finger food! But noo, she had to be damn _proper_.

"Care to elaborate?" Eric asked, as Harmony shrugged, not really caring to elaborate. So Melody jumped in for her, eager for some of her parents' attention.

"Everyone is fine in Atlantica Mom." Melody said to her mother, though it didn't go past her that her mother was barely paying attention to her, as her gaze was directed on Harmony.

"Mhm. That's good." Ariel said, nonchalantly. A look of hurt crossed Melody's features, as she realized her mother was only paying attention to Harmony...not her. Sigh. Well, Harmony did need more attention, after all that had happened to her...Melody just wished that her parents didn't push her out of the picture while doing so.

"So, honey, about tutoring...." Ariel's voice slowly said, as Harmony looked up at her mother coolly at that. "Oh don't be so icy about it Harmony. We just want to talk to you." Ariel snapped at the look her daughter was giving her, though the girl did nothing as let ice take over one of her hands and she started to mess around with it, avoiding her mother.

"So talk." Harmony's voice managed to say, though she knew she wasn't going to be tutored. She wouldn't allow it. She refused to be tutored in the palace, she refused to miss parties because she was stuck here...she refused to give up the last hope for her life to be semi-normal. Her hand was starting to get cold now...with a sigh, Harmony only had to breathe on the ice for it to fall away as it formed a small puddle on the floor.

"Don't take that tone with us young lady." Eric's voice cut it, firmly displaying some anger at the thought of his daughter bossing around his wife. "We just think you should try and...be tutored in the palace again. Tomorrow." Eric's voice was gentler than before.

Though no amount of gentleness could possibly make up for the fact that Harmony was furious.

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**Uh oh, Harmony no likey being tutored!** **review and tell me about what you thought of this chapter. **

**P.s. Wow, you guys are so OFF on guessing who the dead person is. It's not Athena duh! Keep racking your brains for a possible person! Like maybe someone from the t.v. series...or someone from the movies...**

**review!**


	28. My Sister Betrays Me, Part Four

"The fuck I'm not." Harmony cursed, her big blue eyes staring down her father in a way that she knew if she'd done it to her adopted father...she wouldn't have been able to school for the next two days.

"Harmony, language!" Ariel's voice gasped, still not accustomed to her daughter swearing so. "And yes you are. You're going to be tutored tomorrow, and that's the end of it." Ariel stated, though she didn't notice how both of Harmony's arms were completely inflamed. The girl took no notice of her flaming arms, though her sister did and gulped, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

"I'm not going to be tutored!" Harmony yelled, as her chair pushed back when she angrily stood up. Her parents looked up at her with skepticism, as though they didn't believe her.

"Sit back down and eat." Eric's stern command rang out, but Harmony was through. She refused to take any commands if they refused to listen! Yes she wasn't doing well in high school...but she could always get some friends and they could _help_ her!

"Not until you listen." Harmony threatened, her nostrils flaring as she could almost feel steam coming out from them. It was as if she was a dragon, with her bright red hair, and arms that were on fire...

"You can either sit back down and eat, or go to your room. Those are your only two options." Ariel said in a calm voice, as the flames that were up to Harmony's elbow's flared brighter as her fists were clenched in rage. It was weird to see Harmony's arms on fire, and to know that she wasn't getting hurt by them; Ariel thought musingly to herself...but then again, the girl _was_ a witch.

"Or I can runaway." Harmony's voice was slow, threatening even. But it only caused a snort, from amazingly, Melody.

"Oh please, not _this _charade again." Melody snorted, as Harmony's eyes narrowed on her, the flames on her arms brightening as she got angrier. "You've runaway how many times again? And each time, you come crawling back _here_ in tears. Get the hint already, _sister_. Your adopted parents---the ones that raised you---kicked _you out_; you've got nowhere to go. So why don't you just sit down, shut up, and eat?" Melody's sugary sweet voice sneered, as the entire family just stood there, frozen for a moment.

The flames on Harmony's arms vanished, replaced by something worse; pain and remembrance. She felt her throat closing up, as she bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. But she didn't want to give her sister the satisfaction of her running away to her room...so she slowly sat down.

Melody's eyes were wide at what she said, but she couldn't very well take back the words. Her mother looked as though she'd swallowed a fish, and her father looked as though someone had told him a llama was now king of Glowerhaven, one of their neighboring kingdoms.

Tears fell down Harmony's face, as she kept her gaze down on her plate, her sobs stuck in her throat. Her vision was blurry from all the tears, as no one made any attempt to console her. Her sniffles were the only sound she made.

Dinner was eaten in complete silence.

When dinner finally ended, without a word, Harmony pushed back her chair, as she so often done as a child. Still with nothing to say to her parents, to her 'sister', to anyone but her mind really, she ran to her room.

"Mom...Dad? Say something." Melody's tiny voice echoed throughout the silent dining room, as she felt her mother's gaze burning holes into her skin. She kept her eyes focused on the dinner she'd hardly eaten though, for she'd been too afraid of what her punishment would be.

"Go to bed." Ariel's jaw tightened at the words, her blue eyes flashing as Melody finally looked up at her, the first time since she'd said those awful things to Harmony. It was no wonder Harmony preferred Emma to Melody, and that thought made Ariel even more furious because she _knew _her daughter was better than that 'Emma'.

"It's not even seven." Melody interjected quietly, arguing back as her blue eyes quickly returned to her plate of barely eaten food. Moving it around with her fork, she got that sick feeling of dread one always gets at not the bottom of her stomach, like the expression says. No, the dread was around her heart, as it thumped wildly in scaredom of what her punishment would be.

"Now." Eric's angry voice stated, he too locking his jaw as Melody immediately knew if she didn't go, she'd be caught in the warfare. Slowly, she crawled out of her seat, and ran the hell to her room.

"Sweetheart....? Har-mony...are you in here?" Ariel's gentle voice carried across the room easily, as it fell on Harmony's ears, but the girl didn't respond. Sighing, Ariel scanned the room with her eyes a moment, before her eyes finally rested on an open balcony door. Walking towards it slowly, Ariel stepped outside on the balcony in the cool spring air. Looking down, she saw what a long way it was to fall. That's when a sickening feeling emerged from her stomach as realization set in that her daughter wasn't in her room.

"Don't be silly Ariel, she's probably somewhere in the palace." Ariel told herself softly, biting her lip as she looked down, just one more time at the beach. Waves crashed against the sand angrily, as dusk fell onto the sea. Closing her eyes, Ariel hoped to god her daughter hadn't been idiotic enough to jump off the balcony.

Turning on her heel, Ariel quickly shut the door to Harmony's balcony, and left the girl's room in search of her. She stopped for a moment at Melody's room, hesitantly lifting up a hand as if to knock on it, before shaking her head and walking off.

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**Melody, I still hate you. REVIEW!**


	29. Maybe One Day I'll Wake Up

"_Take me away a secret place A sweet escape Take me away to better days  
Take me away to a hiding place. Please, don't let me stay, Just take me away." _

Harmony's soft song went in tune to the wind, as she sighed, and shivered in the cold weather. She wanted to go away, to another place, anywhere...anywhere but here.

"_There's this place I wanna go  
A place nobody knows  
Where the rivers flow  
And I can call it home  
And there's no more lies  
And the darkness is light  
And I don't have to cry There's only butterflies." _

If only such a place existed, Harmony thought to herself sadly. If only there was a place where she could not cry herself to sleep, if only there was a place where she could find comfort in the fact that her family was right behind her. If only there was a place where she could just be...not Kathy, not Harmony....just be _her_. Just spin around in circles 'till she fell down from dizziness. A place where she could laugh really loud, and everyone would just laugh along. A place where she could show the world that she could do anything, and not because she was a witch. No, because she was a girl who wanted to change the world. A place where she everything she was free.

"_There's people talking  
They talk about me  
They know my name  
They think they know everything  
But they don't know anything  
About me_

They all saw her, thought 'there's the witch princess' but they'd never understand the dreams she dreamed.

_Give me a dance floor  
Give me a D.J.  
Play me a record  
Forget what they say  
Cause I need to go  
Need to getaway tonight_

Couldn't there be one night in her life, that she could just runaway from all her thoughts and escape to that one place?

_I'd put my makeup on a Saturday night  
I'd try to make it happen  
Try to make it all right  
I know I make mistakes  
I'm living life day to day  
It's never really easy but it's ok_

Just that one night, she'd be able to laugh the loudest, sing and dance funny...and no one would ever care.

_Wake Up Wake Up  
On a Saturday night  
Could be New York  
Maybe Hollywood and Vine  
London, Paris maybe Tokyo_

Brazil, Spain, Canada....just that one night she'd wake up and find herself...happy. 

_But it's just a foolish, childish fairy tale. _

_I'll never be able to go _

_No matter how much I wish it were so _

_I'll always just stay here, _

_And wonder why my broken sobs are my lullaby_

Fairy tales weren't real...so why should she keep on expecting that a fairy godmother would come out and make her dreams become reality?

_And yet, I''ll still wish upon a star _

_Maybe one day I'll wake Up  
On a Saturday night  
Could be New York  
Maybe Hollywood and Vine  
London, Paris maybe Tokyo_."

Sighing, Harmony looked up at the stars, and wished with all her might that her dreams would become reality. Though, when she reopened her eyes and felt herself still sitting on the roof of the palace tower, she gave another sad sigh and got moved herself closer to the door that would bring her back into her room. She still had math homework to do, and considering she'd just bombed the test today...well, she'd need the extra points if she wanted to pass the semester.

Easily opening up the little door, Harmony eased herself down into her room, until she was floating above the open door. Grabbing it with one hand, she pulled the door down with all her might, shutting it with a soft thud.

Floating downwards until she was near enough to the ground to jump, Harmony grabbed her math notebook and started on her homework.

Ariel went into her daughter's room one more time, feeling panicked as she hadn't found the girl anywhere. She'd asked everyone if they'd seen the girl...the answer: No, or not since after dinner. What if Harmony had truly runaway again? What if her daughter would be true to her threat? Bringing her nails to her mouth in nervousness, Ariel started to bite them as her eyes flickered randomly around the room.

And there she was. Harmony was lying down, fully clothed and face forward on her bed...into her math book? She still had a pencil in her hand, as if she'd been...doing her homework? This late? Sighing in relief though at finding the girl, Ariel gently started to take the girl's math book away from her face.

Harmony stirred a moment, before settling back into the sheets of her bed, rather than her book. The corner's of her mother's mouth lifted in a small, amused smile, before she unfolded Harmony's hand, and took the pencil away from it. Ariel finally took the sheet of half done homework away from her daughter then, and set it on the ground inside her math book.

"Mom?" The girl finally woke up, groggily sitting up as she felt her mother take her shirt off and replace it with her nightgown. Everyone was a jumbled mess in Harmony's mind, as she felt her mother tucking her back into the pillow and kissing her forehead gently.

"Mhm-hm. I'm right here sweetheart." Ariel said in a hushed tone, blowing out the girl's candle so that she could actually get some sleep. "Go to sleep Harmony, it's late." Ariel murmured, tucking a strand of the girl's hair behind her ear. Harmony mumbled something about not being tired, and Ariel grinned in the dark room. "Yes you are honey. Not get to sleep." Ariel's gentle command rang through Harmony's mind, but didn't really make any sense as she slowly started to drift off into dream land.

Kissing her daughter's forehead once more, Ariel walked out of her room and shut the door softly. Turning around, she saw that Melody's room still had a light on. Once again, she brought her hand up to the door to knock on it...but then looked back at Harmony's door and just walked away.

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**Okay, the first two song paragraphs are from the song 'Pocketful of Sunshine' by Natasha Bedingfield and the next three lines plus the last are from the song 'Wake Up' by Hilary Duff. I don't own anything, sadly :( **

**Alrighty, so after much review on the hole 'Kanye interupppts Taylor swift' thing, I've finally decided that I don't care if it was planned or not. It was still not nice. :*( Bad Kanye. YOU SHULD DIE! **

**Alrighty, well, i'm giong to go to dinner! It's pizza night! **

**Tata for now, my kiddies **

**Converse R Life **

**PS. REVIEW!!!!!!**


	30. Lunch

Harmony woke up to the sound of seagulls crying over the waves that crashed onto the shore. Sitting up in bed, she yawned and started to out her arms. Trying to blink off the sleepiness in her eyes, she groggily looked out the window...to see that it was noon. She'd slept in today, that was for sure---oh shit! School!

Jumping out of bed, the girl started running around her room in a frenzy, pulling on a tee shirt, and then her Bermuda shorts. Running a hand through her tangled hair, she almost tripped and hit her head on the washbasin as she quickly started brushing her teeth while trying to wash off any grogginess that she still had.

The girl's bare feet padded the floor in a rhythm, as her shorts scraped against one another on her way to her desk. Quickly grabbing a pen, she took a paper from her personal stationary (that her mother insisted she use) and started to write out a note to her parents. Then, when she had finished that note, she grabbed another paper and twisted her pen to the side, as she forged her adopted mother's handwriting, and signature on her 'please excuse my daughter' note. Taking the finished note and lifting it above her head, Harmony deemed it good enough to pass through the office.

Finally, the girl pulled on a pair of flip flops (that she wasn't allowed to wear in school, but she had no time for that right now!) and shouldered her book bag. And then, she was off to school.

Lunch, as was breakfast before it, was eaten in a stony silence, no one really knowing what to say. Melody kept her head down on her meal, because she was afraid to look up at her mother and father. Ariel paid the girl no mind, as her thoughts were consumed of Harmony, Harmony, and...Harmony. Eric was trying to figure out when his family had gone from looking forward to meals...to dreading them.

Meanwhile, in another world, loud voices were shouting over the rumble of tones that echoed off the cafeteria walls. Kids of all four grades formed little groups at long different tables, as serious and funny conversations went around. Some kids were still standing in the long line, talking to friends as they peered over other's shoulders to see what the lunch for that day would be. And somehow in the commotion of it all, Harmony was grinning ear to ear, throwing her head back and laughing at some joke.

"I'm going to go check on Harmony." Ariel finally broke the silence, pushing back her chair as she stood up. A quiet snort came from Melody's direction, as the girl continued to push food around her plate, not up for eating. "Do you have something to say Melody?" Ariel's dark voice questioned, and it would have been reasonable if Melody shut her mouth and kept pushing food around her plate. Instead, the girl looked up at her mother.

"I do actually." Melody admitted, knowing she was in for a worse punishment after she said this...but she had to try. "All you ever _think_ about is Harmony." Melody stated, as her mother's eyes darkened, and slowly, she sat back down in her seat, staring at her daughter with angry eyes the entire time.

"That's not true." Ariel's icy voice said, as she expected Melody to shrink back and stop talking. The girl did no such thing though, as she kept right on with her point.

"It _is_ true." Melody corrected. "It's always about Harmony, every day of every week. All you ever think about is _her_."

"Why do you say 'her', if I'm right here?! I can here you, ya no!" Harmony butted in, as her friends grinned and laughed lightly. Lizzie rolled her eyes at her friend, before taking her 'water' and staring at it through the plastic cup.

"You know this water is like, tinted pink, right?" She pointed out, as Harmony grinned too and nodded. "And yet, you _still_ drink it. I bet there's more chemicals that will mess up your brain in this one cup of water than in the entire world." Lizzie stated, her hazel eyes peering at her best friend. Harmony took her cup of water back, and placed it (hard) on her tray, watching as some of it fell onto her bread, making it soggy.

"I am confiscating this cup of water from you, young lady." Emma stated, trying to be serious as though she was an authority figure. The others laughed, as Emma grabbed Harmony's cup and slid it further down from the girl's reach. "You don't need your brain to be messed up _even more_." Emma laughed, as she blocked Harmony's hand from leaning over the table to grab her cup.

"Ohmygod, you guys suck." Harmony laughed, as she was still denied access to drinking her cup of water. "What is this, like three against one? This is cheating! And it's unfair!"

"You're being unfair." Ariel's icy voice cut through the air easily, her blue eyes containing rage that she knew she wouldn't be able to hold down much longer. "Your sister has been through some rough patches lately...not everything has to be about _you_ Melody." The girl was acting as though Ariel never gave her a lick of attention!

"No. Your right, not everything has to be about me...but something's do." Melody stated out slowly. "Like, when you _promised_ me yesterday we'd go horseback riding, just you and me. But suddenly when _Harmony _was an hour late from school, I was forgotten. I waited at the stables for an _hour_ Mom. I waited. You never came." Melody's soft voice stated the hurt showing through in it.

"I didn't know where your sister was. I was more panicked at thinking she could be hurt than calm about riding with you." Ariel's cool voice still stated, as more feelings of hurt crossed over Melody's face.

"I told you, last week that I got an A on my report card. You said it was wonderful, and that we should celebrate. Harmony got an F on hers. I waited for you here, so that we could eat some cake. I waited. You never came."

"I wonder what life would be like if you never came to study hall." Emma mused, walking the hallways with her sister. They both had study hall now, and both knew what that meant. Nap time.

"Probably really boring." Harmony said, seriousness in her voice as Emma laughed, linking her arm with her sister. "You wanna come over after school? Louie made some badass brownies that you should totally eat." Harmony said with shining eyes, at the remembrance of sneaking into the kitchen and stealing one before finding her parents in the study.

"No...I can't. I've got...to babysit...Tommy." That was a good excuse, Emma's mind mused. She had to babysit her three year old brother, it was an excellent excuse....to bad Harmony gave her a skeptical look, before shrugging it off and nodding.

"That sucks. Can I come over and help you then? I've got nothing to do." Harmony wondered, as Emma sucked in a quick breathe, not expecting this. She didn't know that Harmony would challenge her little white lie...maybe she shouldn't tell her sister lies...but it's not like she could tell her that the girl's only family hated her guts, and wanted her to go away.

"No...my mom says no one's allowed over till I clean up my room. And you know how long that'll take." Emma said with an eye roll for effect, as Harmony put her hand to the door knob of study hall...before turning around and staring at her friend quizzically.

"Alright...sure." Harmony's slow voice acknowledged, before pushing open the door of 'Nap Class'.

"Aright...sure. You have me there Melody, I didn't show up...but Harmony was failing. I had to talk to her about it; I couldn't just sit back and eat cake." Ariel acknowledged, but her voice still cool as she saw her daughter's eyes rage with feeling.

" 'But Harmony' this and 'but Harmony' that." Melody mimicked, knowing she was in for it now. "You know, you told me once that it was awful to grow up without a mother, since you lost her at a young age. Well you know what? So have I."


	31. Breaking The Icicle

"Smola, everyone." Harmony said cheerfully, slipping into her seat at the dining table. It seemed...quiet. Like an awkward kind of quiet. Well then, she'd have to get a conversation started before she died of awkwardness.

"You're late...and filthy." Eric noted disaprovement on every ring on his tone. Ariel had told him what had happened between her and Melody during lunch, since he had to excuse himself because the quietness was killing him.

"I'm not late. It's only five." Harmony said with a full mouth of a buttery croissant. Though, no matter how could buttery croissants were, chocolate ones from Starbucks would always have a place in her heart.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Ariel chided, as a snort came from Melody, but the girl said nothing more. She just sat there, slumped in her seat, staring down at her plate without any notice to her family. "Why are you so dirty? Wait, before you answer that, _please_ tell me you cleaned your hands before eating." Ariel said, hoping to god her daughter hadn't just sat down with dirty fingers and put more germs into her mouth.

Harmony raised up her bare hands and to show her mother that they were in fact clean, and Ariel gave a sigh of relief. "I had soccer today...and then there was the mud fight after practice...." Harmony let that thought trail off as she grinned at her clearly not amused parents.

"Really Harmony? _Mud_? You're a princess, act like it." Eric said, as Harmony, who would have usually taken offense to this, just rolled her eyes and shrugged it off. She might be a princess....but that didn't mean she wasn't a crazy teenage girl who still loved hot movie stars, though they didn't even know she existed.

There was no noise besides that for the rest of the evening, as the only sounds were the ones made when putting food into one's mouth or cutting something with your fork and knife. Finally, Harmony had enough of it all, and gave an impatient sigh.

"_God_ you guys are boring. My _brother_ is more interesting than you, and he's dead." Harmony stated, as her family looked up at her with wide eyes, waiting for tears to pool at her eyes. They didn't. She had finally accepted the fact that Ryan was dead...but it didn't mean she was going to cry every time someone, especially herself said something. Only at his grave were tears for him accepted.

"This is getting quite annoying. Can't we just talk?" Ariel wondered with a sigh, as Harmony nodded, liking the idea. Though, her mother shot her a careful look, to signify that she didn't approve of the girl talking about 'death' at the table.

"Fine, I'll start. You pay more attention to _her_ than to me." Melody's icy voice said, as Harmony looked generally surprised at that. Her mother did seem to pay more attention to her...but then again, it's not like she _wanted_ it.

"You know, my adopted parents never really paid me any attention growing up. Only when they were...well, it was too often for me. Be lucky that you actually got two parents who never laid a hand on you Mel...and besides, if she's not paying attention to you than it's so much easier to do random crap, blame it on _me_, and then totally get away with it." Harmony ended with a cheery note, not willing to finish the rest of her sentence. For the first time all dinner, Melody looked up...and actually cracked a small smile at the mention of the words 'random crap'.

"Harmony, that's not an appropriate word---."

"For a young lady, much less a princess, to say. I know, I know." Harmony said, waving a dismissive hand to her father, who couldn't help himself; he grinned.

"You really _are_ looking to be grounded, aren't you?" He wondered, as Harmony's eyes became alight with happiness and she nodded her head furiously.

"Because that's my dream, to be grounded more times than any other child on this planet!" Harmony said in a little girl voice, pitched about two octaves above her own, and clasping her hands in front of her chest as though she was being a good little girl. This time the whole family laughed, for they couldn't help it when Harmony was acting as though she was some 'good little girl'.

"You are one strange princess, you know that?" Melody giggled, as Harmony shot her a goofy grin before breaking and throwing her head back and laughing full on.

"Don't you know anything Melody? Strange is the next", Harmony quickly striked a pose "Normal." She said in a model like voice, as her sister clutched her stomach and started to laugh. Ariel's eyes teared up as she tried hard to stifle her laughter, but only ended up in more, and Eric was just staring at his daughter, grinning and shaking his head at her.

"Go wash up, my strange little princess, and get to your homework." Ariel laughed, shaking her head and looking her daughter up to down. The girl grimaced at the thought of doing her history homework, and having to face her teacher for tomorrow's next class.

"Hey! I'm not little. I'm just really, really, flat chested. But definitely _**not**_ little." Harmony said, taking mock offense as Ariel looked at her flat chest a moment, before letting her tears fall down and her laughter join in with her husband and daughter's.

"Just", Ariel could barely get the words out because she was laughing so hard. "Go." She said, one arm clutching her stomach as it was starting to actually hurt to laugh.

"Aye, aye, cap'tain." Harmony said, saluting two fingers to her mother who only laughed harder, along with her father and sister. Well always leave them laughing, right?


	32. Finally, Some Breathing Room

A soft knuckle rapped against the door as a muffled voice called out, "Can I come in?" Harmony quickly hid her scissors, knowing the minute that her mother saw them she'd jump to conclusions.

"Yeah sure." Harmony called back, hiding her scissors behind her back as she pulled out her history notebook...and with it her new detention slip. Sighing, she looked up with raised brows at what her mother would say as the woman walked into the room, sitting on the girl's bed. It was silent for a minute or two, Ariel not knowing what to say, and Harmony wanting her mother to leave so she could continue her little project.

"Well?" Harmony prodded, annoyed as Ariel shot her a look, but didn't actually reprimand the girl for being impatient.

"At dinner...thanks." Ariel said, clearing out her throat as Harmony looked well shocked. She was never thanked for something, _ever_. Usually reprimanded, told off, and occasionally---well, never mind. "If you hadn't...broken the ice...we would have spent the next few days like that." Ariel said, pausing for a moment as she fiddled with her gold bracelet that had been a birthday present from Eric the year before. "I managed to talk to your sister...I guess I have been paying more attention to you than her, haven't I?" Ariel mused, as Harmony rolled her blue eyes, as though that was the stupidest question.

"Naw, really?" The girl said, sarcasm thick in her voice as her mother shot her another reprimanding look, before smoothing it out so that it was no more than a blank facial expression.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to...lay off a bit on you. I'll allow you to go to school...though it's against my better judgment, but only if you keep your grades at a C- and up. Same goes for um....soccer. And I don't want you getting anymore detentions." Ariel finally finished her rules, as Harmony repressed a grin at the mention of detentions. Maybe she should tell her mother, just to spite her, that she'd gotten a detention for 'showing up late to class', or more formally known as, Ms. Anderson had nothing else better to do than take out her revenge on a fourteen year old girl.

"That's cool." Harmony said finally, deciding against the hole 'detention' thing. Besides, it's not like it was her mother's signature that mattered on that sheet, it was her adopted mother's. And heavens knew how many times Harmony had forged that woman's signature to literally save her own skin.

"Wonderful." Ariel said, flashing a smile. Maybe her relationship with Melody was shaky, but at least it looked like her relationship with Harmony was fine. Still, why did she have that nagging feeling the back of her mind that nothing would ever be 'fine' between the girl and her parents, after everything they'd done to her? Shaking off those thoughts, Ariel said her goodbyes to the girl and walked out of her room, not realizing the evil grin Harmony had lit up on her face.

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**Super short, I know, but the next chapter is longer and better! PROMISE! REVIEW!**


	33. Reversing Deathor Maybe Causing It?

The remaining days until her spell would take place passed quickly for Harmony, as she went through the motions of day to day class, talking to her family, and doing homework like a robot. It was only when she was with her friends, socializing that she was completely at ease, and she had no troubles, no worries...no thoughts. Though, life couldn't always be with friends, so she had to suck up everything and deal with it.

Friday came too soon, but at the same time, it had been too long. Harmony was looking forward, and dreading the spell all of class, that little sinking feeling of dread locked close in her heart. Questions swarmed around her head, all through her classes, making her miss valuable information and also making her dread become worse and worse. When that last bell rang, Harmony was the first child out of their classroom...but the last child to their locker.

Emma refused to look at her the entire time when Harmony switched her books. It had already been predetermined that Emma (who was completely against the entire idea) wasn't going to be present when Harmony did the spell, because she really didn't want to witness her best friend kill herself. When Harmony finally finished switching her books, her best friend gave her one last pleading glance...that Harmony refused to look at. Sighing, both girls walked in separate directions, one to her mother's waiting car, the other to the old girl's bathroom that smelled awfully---but it was the one no one went into.

"Did you get all the stuff?" Harmony's almost panicked voice said. She was more scared than she'd let on, that was for sure. Everyone would just assume her panic was about Coral missing some ingredient, and the spell having to be pushed back another day. Though, Coral didn't miss anything, as she spread them all out in front of Harmony, pointing to each one and explaining what it was.

"You really sure you want to do this?" Coral asked, biting her nails in the process. It was a nervous habit that she'd picked up from spending too much time around Harmony, and it was slowly driving her mother to the border of insanity.

"Yeah. Of course." Harmony said with a dry throat, fake enthusiasm in her voice. What if something went amiss, and her life ended? What if she wouldn't be able to do the spell and all of this had been a waste of time? What if---*terrified gasp* she'd never be able to meet her future husband, Zac Efron?!

"Okay, so listen up 'cuz I don't want to repeat all this again." Harmony started, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "First, don't tell anyone where I did this spell, alright? If I pass out or something after the spell, drag me out of this place and somewhere else, like the kelp forest or something like that. Don't let anyone know that I did this spell here....or else it might lead to trouble." Harmony continued on, as her cousin and sister nodded. No one wanted to say what the 'something after the spell' might actually mean. "Second, remember, do not interrupt me during the spell. No matter how bad it looks, and how much you want o grab me, don't. You will die if you do." Well, maybe she made up the part about them dying if they did, but she had to strike fear into their hearts so they didn't do anything.

"Okay. Good luck." Melody said, biting her lower lip as Coral did the same, both worried about how this was going to turn out. Would it be a suicide mission...or a living mission? Both hugged Harmony, though of course she didn't hug them back, she only pushed them off.

"Stand back." Harmony stated, swimming forward as Melody and Coral pressed themselves to the farthest wall in the room, both staring at Harmony with wide, scared eyes. Harmony took a deep breath, grabbed her book, and started the spell.

"_En huutavat toimivaltaa siskoni ennen minua_

_Johtaa voimani ja keskittyä tähän oikeinkirjoituksen_

_Käytössä joka on luonut kuollut kuuden ja kahdenkymmenen vuoden_

_Johtuvat vaahtoa, ja tulevat takaisin maailmaan_

_Teidän aika ei ollut vielä tehty, kun sielu pakeni meidän maailmamme_

_Tule keskuudessa elää vielä kerran sinun on_

_Sielusi jälleen kukoistaa maan laajalle_

_Athena, tulee merenneito jälleen!"_

The room was spinning, or was it just Harmony?! Everything was moving so fast, colors fled before the girl's eyes, green, then blue, then pink, then red, everything was moving in a sort of blur! Harmony's body was thrust from one side of the club to the other, as she wasn't strong enough to control the spell! A tornado made of water, fire, earth, and somehow air was in the middle of the room, where the ingredients were, as Harmony forced her eyes open to watch! SLAM!

She was slammed against one wall as the spell overtook her teenage body, before it took her away from the wall and to the other, slamming her against that one too! Her ribs cracked from under the pressure, blood started seeping into her vision as she felt herself choking on something---her own saliva?! Her throat felt like someone was gnawing at it, or maybe like getting a chainsaw and ripping through it! Her arms flayed wildly as she was smashed against the ground, and more blood came out---but from where?! Her tail was ripping apart, but at the same time, it was reforming! Her head felt like someone had let a toddler with a hammer smash it into her skull, pounding against the bone until blood seeped out!

Screams arose from everywhere in the room, as Harmony wasn't suddenly being thrust from wall to wall, but something was overtaking her body! Her arms were moving without permission, awkwardly as though she was trying on a new sweater, her head jerking back and forth as though she was a robot! Her chest thrust forward, back, side to side, her eyes twitching as though they were brand new! Her red hair covering most of her face which was moving around awkwardly, her lips moving out than in, her nostrils flaring then unflaring!

Suddenly, everything stopped.

The tornado in the middle of the room stopped spinning round and round, the jerky awkward movements stopping in Harmony. Everything seemed...calm. Nothing happened for a few minutes, as Harmony sank to the catfish club floor, her head hitting against something and more blood filling her vision. Her name was being screamed out, but Harmony was in another world, far beyond this one. Her eyes were heavy, closing as the spell finally ended. Her body was limp on the floor, almost cold as though she was already dead.

With some force, Harmony managed to barely open a black, bloody eye, staring blurrily at someone. She felt hands and panicked voices touching her, talking over her...but her gaze was only directed on the woman who was in front of her, where the tornado had just been.

Her tail was a color blue, like the sea on a calm day. Her hair fell down her back with a tinge of gray through it, though there was more red. Not red like Harmony's hair, a more muted down form. The woman had green eyes, like her Aunt Attina, and she wore a golden crown on her head, which somehow matched the purple shell around her neck. No, there was no doubting who this was, as Harmony started to lose her consciousness all together. This was the dead soul that had been brought back to life by Harmony. This was the mother. wife, and queen who'd been gone for years and years.

This was Athena.

* * *

**So, I know all of you want to kill me because you guess Athena, but when I said it wasn't her, I said 'It isn't Athena duh!' And it isn't Athena-duh, it's just Athena. HAHA! TRicked you all! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!**

**So, I still have to do homework...and It's 9:52! Okay, I'm logging off for the night, I'll let you all ponder that for awhile. Or maybe I'll procrastinate (big wow there, cuz I NEVER do that, pssht, nooo...*sarcasm intended, if feelings got hurt by this than it's your fault for being so damn sensitive!***

**So....my new obession song of the next like two days is I'm On A Boat, Feat. T-Pain. I don't know why, but I always laugh when he says, 'Believe me when i say, I F&%^ked a MERMAID!' Somehow, I always picture Harmony and Emma dancing to this song, like really crazily, and everyone staring at them as though their idiots, but they don't care. **

**So...xJadeRainx you said 'beautiful dreamer awake unto me'...what song is that from, cuz I don't remember but i've heard it, and WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO?! HUH?! Also, you said 'Just around the river bend' but you forgot to finish your sentence! So, I'll do it for you! *AHEM* **

**Just around the river bend...is a Starbucks! Damn, those things are everywhere! BUt, as expensive as they are, you've got to love them. Who else can make a double chocolately chip frapucino, size venti (i'm a small girl, big apetite!)! Though, You get SO HYPER After drinking one of those things! **

**Uh oh, ten o clock! I've got to...do something!  
**

**Ps. Is it weird if when Harmony had that dreading feeling in her heart, I did too? Or like when she was being pushed around, I felt as though that was happening to ME? I think I've officially gone certificably----I F&*^%KED A MERMAID!**

**....I'm still not going to the aslyum...unless they have cookies! (only chocolate chip tho, or double chocolate, but NOT raisin! Or oatmeal. BLEH! HEALTHY COOKIES ARE GROSS!) **


	34. WTF is Happening?

"...Happy Birthday---" Voices, young and old chimed to the King, as his family surrounded him. That's when a new, softer, more melodic voice broke into the song.

"To you." The words left her lips softly, her voice echoing in the now silent room, as heads slowly turned to see who had sung. Though, seven people already had dry throats and fast heartbeats, as they had an idea who this could be.

Athena stood off the way in the room, her green eyes still so lovely, staring at her family calmly, though the inside of her bubbled. Everyone...looked so different. Her girls, her little princesses, were no longer girls, as they had grown into women. And her beloved Triton....his hair had gone all gray, and the lines in his face had deepened, yet there was no mistaking that it was her one, her only love, her Triton standing there before her.

The room was suddenly very quiet, as the children gave each other quizzical looks as to what was going on. They didn't know who the stranger before them was, for they had never known Athena. They had been raised without a grandmother, something which neither of them minded actually. With so many Aunts that were always chastising them, a Grandmother would be ten times worse---at least, that's what they heard from their friends.

It like the room spilt apart then, because a sob came out, of which Aunt no one could say for sure, but suddenly all the adults were by Athena. The men had followed their wives, in case something happened and they needed them, and all of the Aunts, and King Triton---which was extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely, EXTREMELY strange---were _crying _and hugging.

"What do we do?!" Collin whispered to his older sister and cousins, while his ten year old eyes grew wide at the sight of his mother weeping. Sweeping his black hair away from his face, he looked for Coral, who would usually tell them what to do in this situation...only not to find her. Alright then, next in charge. Cori.

"What's happening?!" Jessie wondered, coming up beside Collin. Both the same age, they were almost as close as twins, though they came from two different mothers. Slowly, the other merchildren gathered around them, each one asking questions to one another that no one could answer.

"Shawn, why is Mommy crying?" Serene wondered, her little body managing to squeeze herself in between her cousins so she could face her eleven year old brother. He merely brushed her away from him, as he tried to get a better view of his mother, from of course where the children were. Serene pouted as she was pushed away, her expression turning angry as she crossed her arms over her band.

"Ash, do _you_ know what's going on?" Serene wondered, going to her main tormentor for help answering her questions. Ashton, as that was his full name, was only two years older than Serene, and that little fact gave him enough strength to torment her daily.

"Shut up Serene-y." Ash said, using one of the words he'd heard Coral say a million times to them all. Though, for some reason, she was always getting in trouble for saying that...still, if it would get baby Serene to stop annoying him....

"Nina, who is that?" Serene said, swimming closer to her quieter cousin who rarely bothered Serene with the knowledge that she was the baby of the group. Though, for once Nina wasn't acting like the quiet girl she was, as she clamored over the other's nervous whispers and tried to get a better view of the strange woman that made everyone cry.

"Myra, tell Nina to pay attention to me!" Serene whined, going to her last oldest cousin, who was Nina's older sister by three years. Myra, though twelve, was third in command of the group of merchildren, since she'd been born two months after Cori had.

"Serene, have you noticed that I don't care if Nina pays attention to you or not? Now move!" Myra said, shoving her youngest cousin back, a little roughly at that. Serene fell to the floor of the room, her bottom lip quivering as her eyes started to tear up. But, before she could start wailing for her mommy...she noticed something else. Melody and Coral....they were...trying to get the adult's attention, though no one was answering them. Well, this might just work out after all.

Swimming to her cousins, Serene nearly barreled into Melody as she still didn't have much control over her tiny tail, since she was only six. It was frequent that she fell...and it was frequent that she used her tears to her advantage. Like, to get Ash in trouble!

"Serene-y, what do you want?! This is important; we don't have time to play a little kid's game!" Coral said, for one moment forgetting about Harmony as she focused her anger on her youngest cousin. Serene ignored the jab at her name, as she looked up at both her cousins with big brown eyes, and dirty blonde hair that had been pulled back into a pony tail that morning....but by now the pearl hair tie was lost somewhere in the castle, and her wild thick blonde hair went all over her freckled nose.

"I can help." Serene stated, finally getting both Melody's and Coral's attention at that. Standing apart for a moment from the adults, both cousins looked down at the younger girl with feelings of nervousness and anticipation written all over their faces. Usually, they wouldn't have listened to the girl, but seeing as how Harmony was in the kelp forest right now...and she was injured and unconscious....

"How?" Melody barked, a little angrily as she wondered if her youngest cousin was wasting her time. Harmony could die out there by the time everyone stopped crying and started to listen to what the teenagers had to say!

"I can do _this_." Serene said with a happy smile, before moving a little closer to Ash. Taking in a deep breath, she turned her smile into a frown, as she was "pushed"  
to the floor by him, and yelped in pain. Then, she started to cry.

Suddenly, the adults weren't crying and talking all at once, as they swiftly turned their heads to the merchildren who'd been forgotten during this entire time. Adrina quickly wasted no time in sweeping up her young daughter, and trying to soothe the girl's tears.

"Shh, don't cry. What happened?" Adrina's voice soothed, stroking her daughter's dirty blonde hair in an attempt to get the six year old calmed down enough so that she wasn't crying.

"Ash-Ash pushed me." Serene tattled, as Arista looked up at her young son, who looked terribly offended---as usual---at this. It was frequent enough that the two youngest royal merchildren got into fights---with Serene usually ending up crying just to get Ash in trouble.

"Ashton..." Arista's voice warned, as her son's eyes and his jaw dropped to the floor.

"I didn't do anything! She's lying!" Ash said quickly, his automatic response for when he actually had done something to Serene, and when she just wanted to make his life miserable.

"Ashton, say you're sorry." Myron's voice ordered his son, as the boy looked up at his parents with wide eyes and a still jaw dropped mouth.

"I didn't do anything! She's lying Dad! I didn't push her!" Ash said, his fist's balling up as he stared daggers at Serene, who hid in her mother's shoulder to hide her wicked smile. Though only a six year old, she already had a mean streak that no one but children knew about.

"Forget about him!" Coral finally shouted her annoyance going through as her family turned to her in surprise. Usually as the oldest she was the first to say that Serene was lying, and that Ashton was telling the truth--or the other way around, depending on how she felt about her cousin on that day. "There's more things important than a stupid fight!"

"Coral!" Attina's voice admonished, as Athena was suddenly forgotten, just for a moment as she stood back and watched her daughters be parents, and not the children who were the ones being reprimanded.

"What are you talking about?" Aquata's voice wondered, knowing her third oldest niece wouldn't just shout something like that out for the hell of it. Something was amiss, she could just feel it...all of the sister's could, though, they couldn't quite place what was it that was so wrong.

"Harmony and the kelp forest and her spell and then there was all this water tornado and she was---but it was so weird and her arm---her tail was like---and then the blood---" Both girl's tripped over their words in a hurry, both talking over one another so that it was difficult for the parents to hear.

"Harmony? Blood? One at a time, speak slowly." Triton told his granddaughter's, a feeling of dread for his oldest niece suddenly taking root in his stomach as it did everyone else---beside's Athena who was still not understanding who 'Harmony' was.

"Okay, we were in the kelp forest and Harmony did the spell to bring back Grandma Athena." Melody started, as Coral picked up for her seeing as how she was already out of breath from speaking so fast before.

"But then she wasn't strong enough to control it so she started slamming against walls, and then---." Coral tried to catch her breath a minute, her fear and tears slowly slipping out as she and Melody were scared to their deaths as to what had just happened.

"She hit her head or something and she's bleeding really badly and no one was listening to us and--and---" Melody was shaking from fear, or was it from her tears that her and Coral had coming down their faces as rapid speeds.

"Melody, calm down." Alana had grabbed hold of her fourteen year old niece as Attina tried to calm her own daughter down enough so that they could figure out something to do.

"Melody, go and tell your mother what happened, can you do that? The both of you go up and tell Ariel what happened. Tell her to come down here, _now_; it's an emergency, alright? Go." Adella's gentle voice told the two girls, as they nodded, both swallowing the big gulps of spit at they grabbed each other's hands and swam as fast as their tales could carry them to tell Ariel.

* * *

**I'm sorry this** **is only one chapter, but it's long! So that makes up for it! Anyway, I have exactly two--no, one min left on this computer so let me do this quickly. **

**If you get lost with all the names, remember there's a family tree chapter (haha, ironic that I created the characters, and yet I still had to use it to make this chapter)!**

**Soo...I know this is more merkids centric chapter, but I thought you should see what it's like through their eyes, like what's happening and all that jazz. Hehe, jazz. Does anyone still go to like, Jazz clubs? Or like, those poetry clubs that instead of clapping you snap? I would totally want to go up there and start reading a really cute poem about unicorns and pink pony's that live in marshmellow land, and see if they murder me because all those people have poems that are like about death, or darknes...or blood. Speaking of blood, there seems to be a leak in my brain, because I bit my tongue for no actual reason today during spanish class. My tongue hurts alot, and it's like, red! I checked it in the mirror! Well, I had to stick my tongue out...okay, so moving on to another subject. **

**This question has been naggging me all day, since first period history class when we talked about the first horse drawn chariots. Question: If you eat your hand/foot or any other body part...does this still make you a cannibal, since your eating human flesh...but it's your own? Hmmm...ponder and answer this for me, will you? **

**Okay so...REVIEW! AND TELL ME ABOUT THIS CHAPTER! GAH I HAVE TO PRINT OUT SOME RANDOM PAPER ABOUT ERIC GILL, WHOVERE THAT IS! **


	35. Motherly Musings

"You knew about this the entire week and didn't tell me anything?!" Ariel's voice practically shrieked, as Melody and Coral kept their heads hanging low, just waiting for their punishment.

"Why in Poseidon would you let her go through with it?! You know she can't control her powers!" Attina's equally angered, but somehow calmer voice said, to both her niece and daughter.

"She said it would be alright...she knew how much you missed Grandma Athena...so she wanted to do something nice." Coral's muffled voice said, her head still hanging low and staring at her fins. Melody did the same, not willing to look up into her mother's angry blue eyes, that somehow always seemed bluer when under the sea, instead of on land.

Both girls had hurried and told a frantic Ariel where her daughter was...and what had happened. Using Melody's locket, Ariel had transformed into a mermaid herself...and made sure a bruised and broken Harmony was safe inside the Atlantican palace, since the girl wasn't conscious and therefore couldn't turn into a human again, before returning her attention back on the fact her daughter and niece had gone behind their mothers backs and helped Harmony on her insane suicide mission. Ariel still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her mother, seeing as how she was more intent on her daughters...though, she was mostly using that as an excuse.

Honestly, the woman had died when Ariel was five! Ariel was thirty one now, and any memories she had of her mother had long since faded into black and white pictures of a youth she couldn't quite remember. How would she to act around Athena? Like her youngest five year old little girl, or like the Queen, wife and mother she was on land?

"I understand _that_, but why wouldn't you at least tell someone?" Attina's voice rang out, calmer and more put together than the still fuming Ariel. Placing a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder, she felt Ariel relax slightly under her touch---the touch of the only almost mother Ariel had ever known.

"Because we knew you'd stop her...and we wanted Grandfather to have a really memorable birthday." Melody's voice said her blue eyes still staring at her red fins as she knew her mother was making her blue eyes bore into her skin.

"Well, you did help bring back Mom." Attina acknowledged, and from the corner of her eye she could see Ariel stiffen at the name of their mother. "But, there isn't going to _be_ a next time because if you girls even think about helping Harmony do something idiotic like that and don't tell us anything, I swear I will pin both your fins to the ground and watch you like a shark. Understand?" Attina said, her green eyes finally establishing some contact with both her niece and daughter as both nodded furiously.

"Go to sleep, the both of you. It's late." Ariel's voice finally said, as she knew it must be close to ten thirty at night. Ariel didn't even bother asking her daughter if she was sleeping over or not---she knew the answer without Melody's voice. Kissing both her niece and daughter's forehead, she sent them both off to bed.

"I'm going to check on Harmony." Ariel told her older sister, flicking her tail expertly to the room her daughter was in. It felt good to be back in fins, in the water after so long...but Ariel still preferred land over water, if given the choice.

"I'll come with you." Attina said, easily keeping up a pace with her sister, as Ariel's eyes narrowed. Her oldest sister was up to something...but what?

Shaking those thoughts from her mind, Ariel quickly opened the door to the guest room her daughter was sleeping in. Making her way over to her daughter, Ariel put a gentle hand on her forehead for a moment.

"How is she?" Attina wondered, leaning against the door as she watched her youngest sister gently tend to her daughter. It still amazed her that Ariel was actually a adult, and not just a child who somehow couldn't keep out of danger.

"Not as bad as I thought." Ariel murmured back to her sister, but didn't turn to look at Attina as her gaze was directed at her daughter's body. The girl's arm was broken, and had been put in a cast, and her ribs were taped up where she'd broken two of them. Plus, she had a bandage going around her forehead where she had to get ten stitches for some type of wound that had been inflicted on her during the spell. Other than that and the million bruises she had all over her, she was completely fine.

"Ariel, you can't avoid our mother forever. Sooner or later you'll have to talk to her. And Harmony." Attina's soft voice said in the quiet room, as Ariel spun around and stared at her oldest sister.

"Attina, I was _five_ when she died. I hardly even remember her! What am I supposed to say? 'My teenage daughter is an idiot and decided not to tell me anything, and brought you back alive, while in the process nearly dying herself. Oh yeah, and if you haven't figured it out yet, my oldest daughter is a witch.'" Ariel said with a quiet snort, keeping her voice low so she didn't wake Harmony who was sleeping peacefully on the bed.

"Ariel, we spent ten years in darkness because she died. You fought tooth and nail to get Daddy to change his view, and finally after _you_ got hurt, he did. Give her a break, and just talk to her. She _is_ our mother." Attina's soft voice said, slinging a comforting arm around Ariel. Ariel shook it off, and sighed, turning her attention back on Harmony for a moment. Tucking a strand of the girl's red hair neatly behind her ear, Ariel finally grimaced and looked up.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Ariel admitted, as Attina shot her a comforting grin, that couldn't quite hide the fact at winning this little battle. "But only for a little bit. Eric must be in a panic by now since none of his family has returned." Ariel said, with an amused smile to herself at the thought of it. She'd been in such a rush to get to Harmony that she'd completely forgotten to tell her husband where she was. No doubt he was still up, pacing around their room and worried beyond compare.

"Knowing you and Harmony, he's probably thinking she's killed you by now. And she's living out every teenager's dream." Attina said with a big smile to her sister, as Ariel rolled her eyes at her sister's words.

* * *

**Quick Author note: xJadeRainx Sorry i haven't review your last two chapters, i've been really busy! I'll see if I can do them from my fone, since my computer curfew is literally right now! **

**Review!!! Sorry it's only one chapter, I had alot of homework tonight! Tomorrow is friday so you'll get two! PROMISE--though, i've been known to lie in the past. **


	36. So Many Books, So Little Time

Harmony rolled over in bed, painfully, as her blue eyes slowly opened. As groggy as she was, she took in a deep breath of air...only to have water go up her nose. What the...her eyes fully opened then as she sat up in a panic, the blanket falling off of her as she realized she was under water. Moving her fins as though they were her toes, she slowly let her eyes wander around the room, and then to herself.

She was all bandaged up, she realized as she let her fingers gently touch her forehead, where she could fee a thick bandage wrapped around it. Her left arm was in a cast, she found out. It looked...different than the ones she wore in land...though, it felt the exact same way. Looking at her right arm, she found it littered in deep black and blue bruises. Had she been....no, they wouldn't have done that to her. They were more practical, and didn't believe in force. Than what...oh!

Memories swarmed back to her as she could see it all, and scrunched up her nose at the thought of it. Great, she'd passed out. Sighing, she looked at the clock (which ran on the same time both on land and sea) that was next to her bed. _Only_ two in the afternoon? Really? Hm. Whatever.

Getting out of her bed, Harmony refused to brush her hair out, though a brush had been left next to the bed for that exact purpose. Instead, she ran her sore fingers through her hair easily, as she then opened the door and shut it quietly.

Swimming down the hall, Harmony could hear voices all talking at once in the throne room...happy voices. The last time she'd been in the throne room, she was stealing the Triton...you would think that memory would keep her away from the place, but instead, it made her wonder what would happen if she did it again.

Through the crack in the door, Harmony could see her mother, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and Grandmother and Grandfather all talking. With a silent roll of her eyes, Harmony kept her mouth shut and body angled so that they didn't see her, but she saw them. She really didn't want to have to deal with the whole 'oh you're up! How do you feel?' crap, since she wasn't in the best of moods. Sighing, Harmony carefully swam away from the door, in search of something to do.

She knew for a fact that she couldn't turn back into a human right this moment, she was too weak from yesterday's event's and if she did...well, it may not come out with the best results. Still, Harmony really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now...soon, when she was a bit stronger, she'd go back home and be on her way to the graveyard.

Swimming carefully and quietly so she wasn't seen and dragged back to bed, Harmony's eyes took in the castle with mild curiosity. Everything seemed different...and yet, the same. Servants swimming around that she had to avoid, corridors that were large--larger than the ones at home...it was easy to get lost in such a giant place, which is exactly where Harmony found herself after about a minute.

The girls contemplated asking someone the way back to the main hallways...but shook that idea off, knowing that if she went back to the main parts of the castle, one of her Aunts or mother would surely see her and force her back into bed. That's when she came across a sort of building that was away from the castle, but at the same time, in it. Furrowing her brows, Harmony pushed the doors open just a crack, making sure no one was inside before slipping in and closing the doors behind her.

When she finally got to looking around her jaw dropped to the floor. It was...a library! Not just any library though, a huge one! Bigger than the one in Nebraska, and her home! It was huge, books filled top to bottom on shelves. Her eyes shined as she took in the sight, before swimming to a shelf of books. Taking one randomly, she sat on the floor of the library, preferring it to the chairs, as she started to read.

"She's _really_ getting to old for this." Ariel muttered through clenched teeth, checking her old room for a moment before deeming it empty and swimming away. A laugh echoed behind her as her sisters followed, amusement clear in their faces.

"Says the girl who at sixteen ditched a certain concert and went exploring instead." Aquata teased, as Ariel shot her sister a sour look and continued to look for her missing daughter. How is it that every time she leaves that girl alone in a room, she wanders off somewhere always leaving Ariel anxious and unknowing?

"Don't forget the fact that she was exploring sunken ships, after Daddy told her not to." Arista added with a light laugh, as she was also shot a sour look by her youngest sister.

"Plus the shark that chased her." Alana added with a grin, as Ariel locked her jaw and tried to ignore her sisters, and keep her own giggles from coming out.

"And going up to the surface to see that crazy old seagull." Adella said with a snort of a laugh, as Ariel pressed her lips firmly against each other, trying hard not to laugh as she stared at the wall.

"Just to learn about...what was it he called a fork again? A dingelhopper?" Andrina giggled, as Ariel kept staring at the wall, trying hard not to let out a laugh as she didn't want to lose this battle with her sisters.

She was young back then, a child. She believed anything anyone told her, even when she found a fork---which is also called a fork in Atlantica---and had Scuttle convince her it was a brush. Looking back, she did realize that from anyone else's point of view it would seem silly...but to her, it seemed awe striking.

"You're going to la-augh." Attina's voice taunted teasingly to her youngest sister, as Ariel took in a breath, grinning, and tried to keep staring at the wall. It didn't work. Only a second later she burst out in giggles, surrounded by her sisters as though they were little girls again.

* * *

**'Cuz everytime we touch, I get this feeling, and everytime we kiss, i swear i could fly....'**


	37. How to Worry Your Mother 101Again

"The library looks like how I remember it." Athena's soft voice said, leaning against Triton as she let his warmth mix in with hers. She'd learned a lot from her now grown daughters...though, there were things she still didn't know about them. Like, why Ariel's husband was...not here, in Atlantica. Ariel had been vague on the subject, saying that he was 'at home', though in Athena's mind she kept wondering where this home was. Didn't her youngest daughter and her children live in Atlantica, in the castle? "With one exception." Athena's voice slowly said, a small smile forming on her lips as she found something out of place in the room.

"What?" Triton asked, his eyes scanning the empty room with a slight frown of not understanding what she meant. He had a lot to thank his granddaughter for, since she'd given him something that he'd been wanting for years. He never thought it'd be possible...and yet, Athena was next to him, his hands holding her close.

"Right...here." Athena's voice said in a soft tone, as not to wake the mergirl who had fallen asleep on top of a book. This must be Harmony, Ariel's daughter, Athena's mind started to remember, knowing that bright red hair could only have come from one mother.

"Ah. I see it now." Triton's light teasing said, as Athena's laugh rippled through the bubbles easily. "Harmony...wake u-up." Triton said gently, shaking the girl a little. She woke with a start, sitting up with a gasp, her red hair floating everywhere, since it wasn't in her usual braids.

"I'm paying attention." The girl said quickly, as she blearily thought she was back in school and she'd fallen asleep during the lesson...._again_. Both Triton and Athena stifled laughs at the girl's quick answer, before Harmony looked up at both of them. Her gaze fell on Athena a moment, before blinking it off and returning to teenager mode---aka, not caring.

"Your mother's looking for you." Athena's gentle voice admonished, as Harmony shrugged. "She's worried. You should go and tell her you're alright before she starts panicking." Amazing how she could speak of Ariel as an adult, but it fully hadn't registered in her mind that Ariel had two daughters of her own, and was now a woman.

"It's been like nine months, by now she should have figured out that when I disappear, I'm usually in a library." Harmony said with a roll of her eyes, as Triton laughed, and Athena did too...but she really didn't understand. Nine months? What did the girl mean?

"Go and tell her you're alright at least Harmony, you know how she gets." Triton said with a wink; as Harmony mumbled something under her breathe about knowing _exactly_ what her mother got like.

"I would...but I'd rather stay and read." Harmony said brightly, as it caused Athena to look up to her husband with raised brows and a hint of a smile on her lips. He quickly got the message and leaned down, letting his lips brush against hers as the teenager's eyes grew wide and she groaned.

"_Ew_! Okay, okay, I'm going! You don't have to start making out in front of me! Ew, that's so _gross_!" Harmony said her blue eyes bright as she looked disgusted at the scene before her. It was alright to make out in public when you were a teenager, but when you were like, grandparents, you were too _old_!

Swimming away from the library, she heard two separate laughs behind her. Shaking her head, and rolling her blue eyes, Harmony somehow managed to find her way back to the main hallways...and she found her mother.

"There you are!" Ariel appraised, as Harmony's face became a smirk, but she said nothing, knowing if she did she'd risk getting grounded. "I thought I told you a million times before to leave a note telling me where you'd be!" Ariel admonished, as Harmony shrugged, letting her mother hug her for a moment, relief washing all over Ariel. Her sisters had long since disbanded in the search for the girl, because they had their own children to look after.

"I would've, but I left my stationary in my room." Harmony said with dry sarcasm, as her mother stopped hugging her to look at her disapprovingly, not liking that tone she was using.

"Don't use that voice with me, young lady." Ariel's quick voice retorted sharply, as Harmony merely raised her brows, and shrugged it off. "You feel a little warm...why don't you go lie down for a bit honey?" Ariel's softer voice said, feeling her daughter's face with anxiousness. Quickly forgetting about the sharpness of her tone in the previous sentence, with Harmony in tow, she quickly had the girl back under the sheet of the clam bed.

"How the hell did you do that?" Harmony wondered, as she just noticed the fact that she was already lying down in bed, with her head resting on the pillow. Wanting to at least sit up a little, Harmony used her left arm to do so...forgetting entirely about the fact that she had two broken ribs, and an arm that was in a cast. She gritted her teeth together to keep from howling in pain, as she winced deeply.

"I'm a mother sweetheart; it's one of my many talents." Ariel's soft laugh said, brushing off a few strands of hair from Harmony's forehead. "Go to sleep, alright? It'll take the pain away for a little while---unless, you want to take the medicine...." Ariel let her thought trial off, as she saw Harmony's eyes grow wide at the thought of taking medicine---_Alantican_ medicine at that---before quickly falling back on her pillow and closing her eyes. Ariel's soft laugh could be heard as she kissed Harmony's cheek gently, since the girl's forehead was all taped up.

With nothing else better to do, Harmony for once did as she was told, and fell asleep.

* * *

**'Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky, they wipe away tears that I cry....'**


	38. Dead Brothers Celebrate No Birthdays

Harmony woke up some hours later, groggily sitting up in bed. Noticing she was still under water, the girl gave a little sigh. But she knew that at a moment's notice she could be back on land, for her energy was back up since she'd rested a little. Since the girl was no longer tired, she got up from her bed and swam down one of the halls. Everything was silent in the palace, but thankfully not dead silent. Swimming lazily, she came across a room where she heard soft voices talking.

For the second time that day, the girl looked at the people in the room from the crack in the door. She heard soft laughter, as she could see her mother in the room....sitting next to her 'grandmother'. There was something about Athena that just made Harmony feel a little..._off_. There was something about that woman that Harmony didn't like, or rather, didn't understand....

"Melody, I know your there." Ariel's soft voice said, seeing as how she could see a bright blue eye watching her. Her sisters and father looked amused to the door, as it slowly went open...but Harmony wasn't there.

"Do you actually think Little Miss The-World-Revolves-Around-Me would be at the door, instead of inside to get attention?" Harmony's harsh voice said, her arms crossed over her shells as her mother gave her a sharp look at her words. The room was quiet for a moment, before Arista giggled softly, breaking the iciness of the room.

"Come here Harmony." Ariel said with a shake of her head, knowing exactly what her sister was giggling at. Harmony's hair was jutting out in every direction, all knotted together since the girl was too lazy to actually brush it out. Harmony reluctantly swam to her mother, who smiled in spite of herself and started to smooth out the girl's hair with her fingers. "You should be in bed. It's late." Ariel murmured, her fingers working their way through Harmony's many knots. The girl snorted, rolling her eyes as the adults laughed.

"It's like what--eleven? Please, I stay up 'till three in the morning on school nights." Harmony said with another snort, as Ariel turned the girl to face her, as her brows were pulled together.

"You're always asleep when I tuck you in." Ariel pointed out, as Harmony rolled her blue eyes and her aunts laughed lightly.

"It's actually eleven thirty Harmony." Aquata said, gently steering the subject away from Harmony's curfew, but she did it with a grin. Harmony shrugged, as though she could care less...before her blue eyes went wide and her hand covered in mouth in shock.

"What?" Triton wondered to his granddaughter, as he saw that she looked shocked beyond belief. Was it at the fact that it was only eleven thirty...or was something wrong?

"I've got to go. I-I promised!" Harmony said, trying to get up frantically and swim away. But her mother had a death grip on her, and refused to let the girl get up. Holding Harmony close, she wondered what the matter with her was.

"Go? Where do you need to go Harmony?" Attina wondered gently, letting her hand slide over her niece's wrist in helping hold her down. The girl struggled against the grip her mother and Aunt had against her, trying to go before it turned midnight.

"Let me go! I promised him!" Harmony's voice whimpered, still struggling against her mother and Aunt's grip against him. Everyone's brows rose at 'him', each sending each other worried expressions at what was happening.

"Who did you promise to meet Harmony?" Adella's voice wondered kindly, as her niece fought bitterly against her mother and now two Aunts---Attina and Arista---trying to leave.

"R-Ryan. I promised him I'd go to his grave and say happy birthday. I promised my brother I would go see him. Let me go....I promised." Harmony collapsed in a frenzy of tears against her mother, hiding her face away in her shoulder as Ariel tried to soothe the girl. All was quiet in the room, as eight people knew exactly what she was talking about. But one didn't.

"Brother? Ariel...you had a son...who died?" Athena's soft voice questioned, as Ariel looked up at her mother a second, her words not registering in her mind. Son? She only had two daughters...oh! She meant Harmony's adopted brother! Shooting a pleading glance at Attina, she nodded to her younger sister and started to explain.

"Ryan was...Harmony's adopted brother. He died two months ago." Her quiet voice said, as horror washed over Athena....along with confusion. Adopted? What was Attina talking about?

"H-He w-would've been seven-seventeen to-to-today." Harmony's hiccupping voice said, before burying her tear stained face back into her mother who made little noises to soothe the girl's tears. She'd wear herself out soon like she always did and fall, Ariel thought to herself...but who knew when soon was?

"Adopted?" Athena wondered, her green eyes searching her husband and daughter's before falling on the teenage mergirl who was carrying on like a child who'd just had a bad dream. "How could she have had an adopted brother, if you didn't have a son Ariel?" Athena's question was directed to her youngest daughter, but it was Adrina who answered.

"It's...complicated Momma. Ariel didn't have a son....but Harmony had a brother still, at least, for her childhood she did." Adrina's soft voice said, grimly looking at her young niece. How sad it must be to know that your only sibling---well the only one you'd ever known until a few months ago---had died before your eyes. How sad it must be for Harmony to remember what had happened after his death, how she'd been thrown out _twice_, locked in a dungeon, and almost died.

"I don't understand. How could she have had an adopted brother, if Ariel never had a son? Triton, what's going on? What am I not being told?" Athena's voice wondered, her green eyes looking up to her husband with confusion and worry. Triton didn't get the chance to answer, because it was that moment Harmony spoke.

"It's th-the ei-eight year an-anniversary too." Harmony's broken whisper said, as all heads turned to her direction, including her mother who was holding the shaking girl. Ariel's fingers gently stroked her hair, her eyes wondering what her daughter was talking about.

"It's the eight year anniversary of what honey?" Alana's gentle voice said, asking the question everyone else in the room wanted an answer to. Harmony took in a deep, shaky breathe, as she answered it, still shaking from fear and pain.

"The first time I got beat."

* * *

**'the good and the bad times, we've been through them all, without out you make me rise when I fall....'**


	39. Terrifying and Scarring Memories

"Beat?" Ariel's soft voice asked her daughter, as Harmony nodded and sniffled miserably, letting Ariel's protective arms be her shield. "What are you talking about sweetheart? Did something happen eight years ago....?" Ariel gazed at her daughter, who flinched at the mention of all those years ago. Her family gave each other clueless and worried glances, before looking back at the girl.

"I was six...it was Ryan's birthday." Harmony's shaky voice started, her shoulders shaking from the effort to hold back her sobs. "Ryan told me that night not to leave my room...no matter what. He always told me not to leave my room. If I heard loud noises from my parents' room, he would say, I had to hold my hands over my ears and try not to hear it. And if I heard fighting....I had to hide under my bed, and stay there until the fighting stopped." Harmony was literally a moment away from sobs, as her eyes were full of pain and remembrance. The adults shifted, uncomfortable at the part of hearing loud noises from her parents' rooms, because they knew what that meant.

"Then what happened?" Arista's soft voice prodded, as the girl winced and took in another shaky breath. Fighting, loud noises, the adults wondered. Was that the type of environment the girl had grown up in?

"I-I heard fighting...but I didn't hide. I-I stayed up...listening to them...my r-room door opened....th-they yelled at me for being up. I-I st-started to cry...the-they told me to shut up. I-I couldn't st-stop crying...so they-they-they...hit me. A lot. It h-hurt." Harmony's voice whispered, and there was complete silence in the room. Dead silence, apart from the girl's struggles to keep her sobs at bay. "I-I couldn't g-go to school for t-the next t-two days...my bruises were too bad. It kept happening...any time I got b-bad grades...if I di-did something wrong...Ryan told me to runaway...but I was too scared." Harmony finally went back to sobbing, as Ariel couldn't even hold her daughter.

Her blue eyes were wide, staring at the girl in shock. That's when realization set in. How dare they! How dare her adopted parents hit her! She was a child! A little girl the first time they hit her, a bright eyed six year old! How dare anyone touch her Harmony in such a way!

"Shh, you're safe now. It's alright now sweetie....it's alright." Ariel's voice softly soothed, as Harmony kept sobbing into her mother's shoulder. It wasn't like she wanted to cry...but things just came pouring out when she started talking about Ryan. She hated being such a baby...she hated crying in front of anyone...she wasn't a kid, she was a teen. But she was crying, and as always, crying led to her exhaustion as she fell against her mother, finally asleep, though her face was stained with tears.

"She was a little girl." Attina's awed voice said, dumbstruck with the knowledge. What if that had been Coral, or even one of Attina's sisters...or worse yet, Attina herself! How could one's parents be so cruel as to hit their own child?

"She was six....she was Serene's age. She was a baby...she didn't know any better than to cry." Adrina's soft voice said, staring at the sleeping Harmony with wide worried brown eyes. A little girl, that's how old she'd been. Nothing more than a child who had just left her baby years, to become a little girl. At six years old, Harmony had been beat. At six years old Adrina had lost her mother....it seems as though Harmony got the raw end of the deal.

"It's so *sniffle* sad." Arista said softly, leaning against Aquata who put a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. No one spoke for a few minutes, everyone staring at Harmony before Athena spoke.

"Is anyone going to explain to me what happened to her? Because I _know_ you wouldn't dare hit your own child Ariel...but then...who did? Tell me." It wasn't a request, it was a soft command as Athena swam over to Ariel, and sat by her daughter. Ariel sighed, looking down at Harmony who was fast asleep on top of her. Gently letting her fingers roam through her hair, Ariel started to talk.

"It was thirteen years ago...Harmony and Melody were still in the nursery....it was just days before they'd be turning a full year old...Harmony was trying to walk on her little legs...she was so adorable, every time she'd fall and then get right back up to try again. I must have taken my eyes off of her for a few seconds...before she was gone. She just...disappeared." Ariel said softly, letting her fingers brush against her daughter's cheek before continuing.

"Apparently, according to her, she was found in her brother's room....in another world...and she was adopted a month later. That was her family for twelve years...and I never knew where she was for all that time. Nine months ago...she just...suddenly reappeared back in the palace....and we've been dealing with...things about her since then." Ariel's voice was whisper soft, her memories playing out before her of what she'd done to the girl. Harmony hadn't had a real childhood...filled with the love of a real mother...and when she suddenly reappeared...well, Ariel hadn't been making her life easy.

"Legs? Disappeared? How on earth could she have had legs and disappear Ariel?" Athena questioned, as the entire family knew there was no way around this now. They'd have to tell Athena all about Harmony...and who Ariel was now.

"Athena, my love...Ariel lives on land...with her husband, Eric. Melody and Harmony were born...human. And...Harmony's a witch." Triton's soft voice said to his wife, as her jaw dropped down to the ground, staring at Harmony, then back at Ariel, then at Triton.

* * *

**'cuz everyttime we touch, I get this feeling, and everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly....'**


	40. You Can't Tell Me What to Do

"Human?! Your one of _them_?!" Athena's voice shouted, and thank goodness the door was closed so that no one could hear it. Though her voice reached a high pitched note that made everyone wince. Harmony stirred in Ariel's arms, before going back to sleep.

"Momma---" Attina tried to reason with her mother, but she was cut off by a seething Athena. Well, that was a first. Attina couldn't really remember her mother having a temper...then again; she'd been twelve when the woman died.

"One of the same people who killed me, oh that's rich Ariel. Really rich!" Athena yelled as Triton tried, unsuccessfully, to have her stop talking. "How can you be married to one of those barbarians?! They are dangerous! I don't want to see my youngest daughter snared by some fish eaters hook!" Athena shouted angrily, as Harmony stirred more in her mother's arms, but after a few soothing words from Ariel, she was back asleep.

"I'm 31 years old, I'm not a child." Ariel's voice said angrily back, menacingly low so she didn't wake the girl in her arms. She loved her daughter with all her heart...but right now, it felt as though _she_ was Harmony, and Athena was Ariel. That was it, Ariel's mind suddenly said. That's how Harmony feels when you yell at her, like you do not understand the big picture, Ariel's mind said, as she started to feel guilty.

"Don't take that tone with me." Athena snapped, as Ariel let out a sigh, her bangs pushing up as her bottom lip blew air up towards them.

"But if you would just listen---" Ariel pleaded, trying to get her mother to understand. She loved Eric; she loved him and her life on land, with her two human daughters. She loved having legs instead of a tail, running instead of swimming...why couldn't Athena see that?

"Not another word!" Athena stormed, her voice seething as Ariel sighed, turning her gaze to her teenage daughter. So this is what it felt like....after so many years, this must be what Harmony felt like. Frustrated that her mother wouldn't listen. "And I am never, never to hear of you going to land again, is that clear?!" Athena's voice angrily rang out, as gasps went around the room. Harmony groggily woke up from the yelling, looking up at her mother who....seemed like she'd break down and start crying any second.

"Eric isn't just my King Momma...he's my best friend." Ariel's voice softly said, holding Harmony close as she struggled not to cry. "I have two wonderful daughters because of him...and I love my life as a human, with Eric." Ariel's voice was soft, but it carried to the other side of the room. Athena stared at her youngest daughter, outraged, and before she got a chance to speak, someone else did.

"Stick a T in it Grandma." Harmony said out loud, not bothering to hide her irritation. "And by that, I mean stop PMS-ing. It's really starting to get on my nerves." Harmony's voice was smooth, irritated, annoyed...but it caught her grandmother's attention as she turned to her.

"You!" Athena spat out, as the family tensed, knowing this wasn't going to be good. "You're a freak! You're a witch, you're a human, your---"

"The teenager who brought you back to your family." Harmony's smooth voice interrupted, as all heads turned to her, shocked. "My life is worth no less than yours. And since I risked my life for you, I think you should shut up." Athena tried to answer back, retort something....but nothing came out of her mouth. Harmony grinned triumphantly as Athena tried to keep speaking, but found herself suddenly mute, thanks to Harmony.

"I'm going to Ryan's grave...there are some things I need to talk to him about." Harmony said, turning to her mother who dumbly nodded, realizing that after all she'd done to the girl, Harmony had still stood up for her, in a strange way. Then turning to her Grandmother, Harmony placed both hands on her hips, her blue eyes unafraid of the woman who was seething with rage, but couldn't yell it out.

"Listen to my Mom, and I'll take the spell off of you. Don't, and I'll make a giant ball of fire ram straight into you, killing you on impact. You choose which one you want." Harmony said sweetly, before whispering a few words to herself.

In seconds, she found herself soaking wet, in a pair of jeans and old loose tee shirt that had once belonged to her brother, and had been a hand-me-down to her when he'd out grown it. She also found herself staring at Ryan's tombstone. Looking at her digital watch, she saw it was 11:58; two minutes till his birthday would be over.

Softly, she sang and shivered out the song 'Happy Birthday' to him....before dropping on her knees and sobbing from everything that had just happened. From what she'd told her mother, to what her grandmother had told her....she just cried.

But she knew no one heard.

* * *

**So, last night i didn't post any chapters. And I didn't post them up this morning either, because I was so busy writing! Here's five chapters, with hopefully another one or two on the way. So...BE HAPPY! **

**'Stick a T in it' is a phrase my friends and I came up with. It means, 'Stick a tampon in it'. So whenever someone is PMS-ing, and they don't realize it, tell them to stick a T in it...or up it, I guess. **

**So...I was just at the movies with my friends, and we saw FAME, which by the way is a great movie. But anyway, I'm sitting next to one of my guy friends, A.J. and the people in the movie start to make out. So, someone in the movie calls out, "RAPE!" and then someone else answers "IT"S ONLY RAPE IF SHE DOESN"T WANT IT" My friend A.J. shouts out, "OH, SHE"S GOING TO WANT IT, DON"T WORRY!" Ah, My friends. My...scary, scary perverted friends. **

**So um....review, and yeah. Oh! I almost forgot. Did you know, for a medium popcorn and soda, it now costs like ten bucks at the movies?! I know! I was like, are you serious?! It's like sixteen bucks if you get the small popcorn, soda, AND your choice of candy though, so i shouldn't be very surprised. **

**REVIEW!**


	41. Crying Mother's

Harmony would have fallen asleep on top of her brother's grave, have it not been the fact that she was freezing. Though, no amount of cold could ever compare to...well, she didn't want to think about that right now.

Sighing, she whispered the words to get her back to the palace. No amount of wishing could ever make her call it a real home though. If home was where the heart is...well then she didn't have a heart because her heart was in neither the palace, nor Nebraska anymore. Both places held to many disturbing memories for her now.

The minute she smelled the familiar sea air that surrounded the palace, and her room was the same minute Harmony felt warm hands around her, holding her protectively. The girl didn't argue as she let her mother's hands gently remove her wet clothes, and replace them with a warm silk nightgown.

"Why does everyone hate me, Mom?" Harmony wondered, half asleep already as she forced herself to stay awake. Her mother was silent for a few moments, as she led Harmony to her bed and tucked the girl in tightly---making sure there was no possible way she'd escape the palace tonight, and sneak off to wherever she might go to.

"Hate is such an ugly word honey. No one 'hates' you...people...they just don't understand you. Your grandmother...she just doesn't know any better." Ariel's soft voice said, letting her fingers brush against Harmony's bruised cheek. The girl made a sound as she was almost asleep, before she finally got words to form on her sleepy lips.

"Thanks." The girl yawned out, her eyes closing as she started to drift off into another land. But, if she thought this land was all bunnies and rainbows, she was sadly mistaken.

"For what sweetheart?" Ariel's voice wondered, holding back a sigh as her fingers traced the bandage across Harmony's head, and refused to look at the cast on the girl's arm...or the bandage across her ribs.

"Lying to me." Harmony's voice whispered out, falling asleep to the sound of her mother's sad sigh, and her own heartbeat that pounded in pain.

"I'm sorry, my little Harmony." Ariel whispered, letting a tear drop onto the girl's covers. With a sad sigh to her now sleeping daughter, Ariel kissed the girl gently, before walking off to her own room.

The door opened and closed softly, as Ariel slipped through it, hoping she didn't wake her husband. She stopped a moment to look at his sleeping form, and smiled a little when she saw how his loose black waves fell over his face in just that way that made Ariel sigh in contentment every time she saw it...before today, at least it had.

Ariel slipped off her dress, which unlike Harmony's strange choice of clothes, wasn't soaking wet. Her bare skin that wasn't covered by her undergarments turned into goose bumps at the coolness of the room. Giving a little sigh, she slipped off her undergarments and slipped on a nice, comfortable warm nightgown, all the while being extremely quiet so Eric didn't wake.

Ariel looked for a moment at her bed, now that she had her nightgown on, and noticed Eric was still asleep. Perfect. Giving herself a small mischievous grin, she walked on tiptoes to the French glass doors that led to her balcony. Pulling back the heavy curtain, she opened the simple clasp of the doors, and was greeted by a rush of cold air.

Stepping out onto the stone balcony, Ariel lightly shivered in the cold night air, bringing her hands up to her arms which were covered by the long sleeves of her light blue nightgown. Rubbing her hands quickly over her arms, she softly shut the French doors, not clasping them for she didn't want to be locked out, then have to knock on the door, wake Eric, and explain what she was still doing up this time of night. She loved her husband, really, truly, she did...but most of the time he was prone to be overprotective of her...and though she usually didn't mind that, she just didn't feel the need to worry him.

"Oh Poseidon." Ariel sighed, not noticing how she was using a phrase more meant for under the waves than on land. When she was frustrated, the woman usually (and unknowingly until someone pointed it out) started to use the language that she'd grown up in.

Why was the world so unfair, Ariel wondered to herself with another sigh, leaning on the balcony and resting her chin against her hand, looking out at the waves. First, she'd lost her daughter for exactly eleven years (but she usually rounded it off to twelve, seeing as how Harmony had been just days from turning a year old), then she made a mess of the girl's life, and now, her mother practically disowned her!

At first, after Harmony's little spell she'd placed on her grandmother, the older woman had been seething with rage. Then, when Triton and Ariel's sisters had calmed the woman down enough, they all tried explaining about Ariel's new life, well, new to the fact that Athena had never heard of such a thing. When everyone had tried explaining in the best possible way, it seemed as though Harmony had been lying, for then the spell had lifted off of Athena and she'd said what she really thought about all of it...and it wasn't very pretty. Ariel cringed; even now that Atlantica was fathom's away from her home, at the words her mother had used to describe her feelings.

Words so awful that they brought tears to Ariel's eyes. Ariel had pleaded with her to understand, begged her even to see her point; how she loved her husband and would be lost without him. But...the woman just didn't understand. She was as stubborn oas her father, Ariel realized. At five years of age, she'd been too young to know anything more than how much her mother loved her...and the gentle chastisements she always heard coming from the mermaid as she was swooped into a hug and told that she was 'Mommy's Baby'.

Oh, but that wasn't so anymore. 'Mommy's Baby' had grown up, she was living out her...not so wonderful dream any more, considering Harmony and all, but still, it was most of her dream to live on land. But Mommy just didn't understand that.

Tears slowly spilled from Ariel's eyes, as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Burying her head into her arms, she silently cried, as though she was a baby once again. The only sound was her sniffles, and ragged breaths, and for once in her life, she wasn't thankful for a voice. Soft sobs came from her, as she mostly stifled their noise...but it's hard to stifle an entire sob.

Ariel felt something being placed around her shoulders then...something warm. Something...oddly comforting. Still, she refused to turn around to see what was on her shoulders, and if someone was behind her as she kept crying. She slowly felt her head being lifted up, her face being cupped in warm, rough hands.

"What happened love?" Eric asked gently, and softly, as Ariel sniffled, feeling like a child as she buried herself into his nightshirt, where she could almost feel all those muscles he had from sailing. Eric gently, and without question, stroked her hair, knowing that such a moment always soothed her when she cried.

"Sh-She wouldn't accept me...my life. She said---she said....I wasn't her-her daughter. Eric...." Ariel could barely stand as her tears stained Eric's shirt, and he let her, a bit worried as to what she was talking about.

"Love, who didn't accept you?" Eric asked, his blue eyes looking down at Ariel's red head of hair with love, as she cried against him. She was a woman acting like a child, her mind whispered, as Ariel cried more muffled sobs against the man she loved.

"My-my...." Ariel could barely get the words out, as she stuck to her throat like glue.

"My Mother."


	42. A Hell of a Realization

"Oh darling." Eric sighed, holding Ariel close as she cried against him, muffled sobs coming out from her throat as she clutched tightly onto his nightshirt, as though without it she'd fall apart, though Eric's strong hands were wrapped around her waist to make sure that didn't happen. "She didn't mean it love, she was just shocked." Eric murmured into Ariel's hair, as she cried harder against him.

"E-Eric." Ariel cried out, not caring at the moment anymore if she was a child or not. She'd basically just been disowned, by her own mother---oh. Ouch.

The guilt started swelling up, as Ariel realized how many times she'd done the same to her own daughter...and every time she'd one upped what her mother had told her. The first time she'd been locked in jail, the second she'd been locked in jail, _again_, and the third time she'd been kicked out...with no place to call home, and no one to hold her when she cried. What was she complaining about, Ariel thought to herself, wiping her tears off with the back of her hand. Harmony didn't even cry like this, and the girl had been beaten during her childhood, and during her teenage years she'd been locked in jail and disowned by her own mother...three times!

"This is what I did to Harmony....only worse." Ariel whispered, awe struck as she moved away from Eric's arms, her eyes shocked and wild with realization. Her daughter....all those tears...all those times....that's what Harmony felt like every time her life took a turn for the worse. Like someone ripping out your heart, stomping on it, than handing it back to you...only to take it away again and again and again.

"What _we_ did to Harmony, darling." Eric softly corrected, his arms once again coming behind Ariel. "But right now, this isn't about Harmony...it's about you. Your mother, my love, is like your father. She just doesn't understand....it's a shock...but you're her daughter...she'll have to understand soon enough." Eric's voice of reason said, but his words weren't registering in Ariel's mind, as she turned back to him, her face filled with shock and worry.

"My poor baby...I never knew she felt like this....I mean, I knew she was in pain...but I didn't think it'd hurt more than she said it did...I just...I'm..." Ariel, was shocked. She couldn't find the words to her sentence any longer, as she went back inside her room, her brows furrowed as she quickly pulled off Eric's cloak, which had been wrapped around her shoulders, and pulled on her robe (well, one of them at least).

"Where are you going?" Eric wondered, as he saw Ariel was already walking towards the door. She didn't turn back, because he knew she probably hadn't heard him...but he could guess where she was going. Deciding not to follow her, he sighed and shut the doors to the balcony with a grim shake of his head.

It's not that he didn't love Harmony, or Ariel in for that matter, and it's not like he wasn't happy that Ariel's mother had been brought back in a one time spell by Harmony...but he just wished that the girl had done that for _his_ parents, instead of Athena. Granted, he knew it was selfish and he never talked about his parents to his daughters, for it was a painful subject for him....but he just wished that they were here instead of Athena.

Honestly, he'd lost his parents when he was sixteen, Ariel had lost her mother when she was five. Though, he knew it was horrible to think it...but he wanted his parents here instead of Ariel's mother. He'd been nothing but a boy, forced into overseeing the kingdom, with no parents to tell him that at any moment, if he didn't feel well enough, he could step down and they'd take his place. No, he had to grow up quickly...and sadly.

Though, he'd had Grimsby there to help him run the kingdom, and make sure he wasn't a total idiot in doing something, and Carlotta had always been like a second mother to him....still, he just wished that it'd been his parents, instead of Ariel's. Oh the things he could tell them! Reminisce about! But....he'd never be able to.

Sighing, Eric crawled back into bed and stared at the high celieing, his hands behind his head as one thought kept playing over and over and over in his mind.

Why me?

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**REVIEW!**


	43. Silently Crying

"Harmony, sweetheart, are you still awake?" Ariel's soft voice called into the room. There was no answer. Tying her robe up properly, Ariel walked into the girl's room. It was dark, which meant that Harmony was probably asleep. Making sure that her bare footsteps were quiet, Ariel walked over to the girl's bed to sit by her. That's what she wanted to do…but that's not what happened.

Ariel stared in full shock at the empty covers of her daughter's bed. She stifled the urge to scream, as she felt a sudden wave of motherly panic hit her. Her head turned left and right in the room, as she bit her lip, wondering where the girl was. When she'd left, Harmony had been sleeping….but now the girl was missing! What if she ran away again, what if she would never come back?! What was happening to her daughter?!

"Calm down Ariel." The woman soothed herself, though it did little. "She's probably in the library. Yeah, that's it! The library!" Ariel's heart started to beat with relief as she realized that's where the girl must be…or at least convinced herself that.

Turning around, Ariel felt something suddenly that she hadn't felt before. Cool air. Turning sharply, she saw that Harmony's balcony was still locked, and there was no way the girl could go out on it because Ariel had the key in the room she shared with her husband. They weren't born yesterday, they knew the girl would try and sneak out.

But if the cool air wasn't coming from the balcony…and it certainly wasn't her door…than what...? Ariel let her head roll around, in search of where the cool air was coming from…until she finally found it.

On the ceiling, there was a door. A small trap door kind of thing, that was wide open, letting cool air drift down into the room. Puzzled, Ariel stared at the door for a moment, not understanding why such a thing would be open---or much less on her daughter's ceiling…before the wind blew a bit harder, and red hair drifted into the door's view.

"Harmony Althea!" Ariel's shocked voice stated, as she stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. A head poked through the trap door, as Harmony's eyes went wide and scared at being caught. Her mouth opened in a gasp, as her thoughts started to race at trying to figure out a quick excuse. "Get down here before you hurt yourself!" Ariel's angry voice stated, keeping it low so she didn't wake anyone. Then she realized how high up the ceiling was, and a wave of motherly panic hit her in place of her anger. "No, actually don't get down! I'll go get your father, and we'll figure out some way to get you down without you getting hu---"

"I'm not very patient." Harmony observed, her voice drifting from behind Ariel. The woman swiveled around, shocked at what had just happened. How did---but Harmony---the roof---something's were better left unanswered.

"Why were you on the roof?! Don't you know how dangerous that is?! You could have fallen off easily and then you would have killed yourself!" Ariel's voice stated, as Harmony shrugged it off, not caring either way. She hugged her daughter close to her, noticing how the trap door had been locked again as though the girl hadn't just been on the roof.

"Would you rather I cut myself, or smoke?" Harmony's cool voice said, as Ariel released her from the hug. Harmony stood in front of her mother, hands on hips as Ariel noticed the girl had changed out of the nightgown and she was now in a pair of what Harmony called "pajama pants" and a Tee shirt that was so big it fell off the girl's shoulder. "If I'm on the roof, I'm icy. If I'm icy, I don't need to cut or smoke. It helps me think." Harmony's cool voice stated, as Ariel felt like a child once again, instead of it being the other way around.

"I-I didn't realize….Harmony, my mother told me that I-I wasn't her d-daughter…I never knew how much pain you were in…" Ariel broken voice said, trying to smooth things over with her daughter as she reached out a tentative hand to stroke Harmony's cheek, but the girl pulled away, repelling her mother's touch.

"Of course you didn't. You still don't." Harmony's voice was icy for no particular reason, as icicles literally dangled down from her finger tips. She didn't need this right now…there were too many things she needed to think about, and she didn't need her mother getting in the way. "Look, I'm already in a bad mood because of that bitch that's supposedly my grandmother and pretty soon I'm going to just start saying things that you don't need to hear, so please, just go. Let me get to bed so that I can at least get an hour of sleep for school tomorrow. Okay?" Harmony's voice was impatient, but behind her words was a real pleading for her mother to understand that she wasn't in a good mood. There were times where she needed the woman to comfort her, and there were times when she needed to be left alone. Harmony was the one who choose those times though, _**not**_ Ariel.

"A-Alright sweetheart." Ariel said, trying her best to swallow that lump in her throat and forcing a thin, humorless smile onto her features. "I'll see you in the morning." Ariel said, leaning down to kiss Harmony's head. The girl was quicker though, and before Ariel realized it, she kissed the air. Harmony was standing off to the side, her eyes gesturing for Ariel to leave…like, now. Ariel turned to leave, but before she did, she turned back around again to face Harmony.

"Good---goodnight." She whispered, trying to hide the tears that were springing into her eyes. Harmony wasn't going to talk to her….why was it that Ariel couldn't be an adult around the girl? Sighing when she didn't hear the usual response of 'goodnight' back, Ariel walked out of her daughter's room.

Walking back to her own room slowly, Ariel raised herself up with the knowledge that soon morning would come, and with it, Harmony would be bound to be in a better mood. Perhaps then they could talk, and maybe for once Harmony would let down her guard and trust her mother enough to talk about things that were actually troubling her---besides the obvious. Though, she highly doubted that.

Shutting the door once again to her own room softly, Ariel slipped off her robe and crawled into bed with Eric. He was sleeping peacefully, as Ariel rested her head against his chest---or so it seemed, until her head was suddenly pushed off his chest and onto the mattress. Not understanding, the woman looked up with a confused expression to her groggy husband.

"I'm not a pillow." Eric grumbled out, letting some sleepy anger slip into his voice. Truth was that he didn't need to think of Ariel right now, with so much racing in his head about her, it would only make things worse.

"But I always sleep on you Eric!" Ariel's protested, hurt slipping into her voice. Eric didn't notice, as he was half asleep. Ariel's bottom lip jutted out in a pout, as she really needed someone---_anyone_---to just be there for her right now. Eric didn't see her pout, and with one hand, and both eyes closed, he tossed Ariel's actual pillow off the bed, and onto the floor.

"There's a chair in this room you know." Eric muttered, turning his back on his wife and falling back asleep. Ariel watched him with wide, hurt blue eyes as her throat closed up tightly, knowing exactly what he meant. But he wasn't serious…he couldn't be…but he had to be, her mind said softly.

With a hurt sigh, the woman slipped out of the bed. Leaning down, she grabbed the pillow, and when she looked up again she had to struggle hard not to cry at the sight of Eric's back turned to her, even though he was asleep.

Walking silently to the chair on the opposite side of the room, Ariel awkwardly made herself comfortable, though she could already feel her body protesting at sleeping like this. Burying her face into the pillow though, Ariel did the only thing she seemed to be good at right about now.

Silently crying.

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**OKay, so I know I haven't posted in almost a week, but I HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE! My computer crashed after my dick (yes dick!) of a brother went on a poker website, got a virus, and made my computer crash. I lost all my stories, including my Harmony series. Thank God all my Harmony stories are on fanfiction! So anyway, if it couldn't be any worse, I now have to use my mom's work laptop which is big, bulky, and freaking annoying until christmas where i'll get another laptop for me. But wait, there's more! My brother lost the router password, so it's taken a week to buy a new router, have the guy install it, and then get back onto the internet. See why I hate my brother? **

**Review this chapter! PLEASE! I also noticed, that i already have like 43 chapters...and I'm not nearly done with this story yet! I better hop (Like peter rabbit!) to it! **

**ALSO:** **Special Thanks to xJadeRainx for spreading the word about my computer crash from her story---Really, thanks alot! **

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!**


	44. Making Up

"Ariel!" Eric's frantic voice said, as he woke up with a start at not feeling his wife lying next to him on their bed. His rough hand searched for some type of note that she'd have left anything…but there was nothing. It was only 7 in the morning, the usual time he and she woke up. She never got up early though, in fifteen years of marriage she'd always been the one to protest about waking up so early. Where was she! Had something happened to her? Was---oh.

Eric's frantic eyes stopped on the form of Ariel, who was lying in a chair across the room. A sigh of relief escaped him, as he wondered why she was over there, instead of in their bed. The woman was slowly starting to wake up, groggy as she stretched painfully out her sore muscles. Sleeping on a chair=not a good idea.

"Gah!" Ariel whimpered, as she felt like a muscle just popped in her neck. Putting one of her hands behind her neck, she gently massaged that area where she'd pulled a muscle, wincing as she got up and onto her sore feet. She hadn't managed more than a few minutes worth of sleep last night, so right now, she felt like crap.

"You look like you've seen better days." Eric noted, easily taking the covers off of him and following a silent Ariel to her adjoining dressing room. Walking into the room, he leaned against the door frame, as Ariel just turned and stared at him with wide blue eyes that were….blank. Nothing in them. Just blank. "Why don't you go back to bed darling?" Eric asked, in more of a pleading tone for her to understand and for once not argue her point with him.

"I don't feel like sleeping in a chair again." Ariel said simply, her voice blank, dull, aloof almost. It held nothing in it…just air as it floated to Eric's ears and he cringed, though why he couldn't exactly say.

"I didn't mean what I said last night to you my love." Eric said softly, a grimace written on his features as he thought about what he'd told his wife the night prior. "You know how I am when I'm tired…I was half asleep…and I'd been thinking about my parents….forgive me, my love? Please?" Eric's pleaded voice asked, as Ariel nearly melted. She was an idiot, for sure, but she couldn't stay mad at her Eric. He meant to much to her.

"I forgive you." She said, exhaustion thick in her voice as she tried to keep awake. She felt like she'd fall asleep on her legs any moment now, and she knew Eric noticed it too.

"Better make that you forgive me twice." Eric noted, steering his wife back to their bed. The woman turned to face him for a moment, to see what he meant, before he only just pushed her into the bed and tucked her in, as though she was a child.

"For what?" Ariel's thick voice wondered, as Eric grinned, his dimples showing through as he knew that when she woke up he'd be in hot water with her.

"For forcing you to sleep until at least midday." Eric said with a warm grin, to Ariel's snort, though her eyes closed without her permission. "'Night love." Eric whispered, kissing her lips tenderly before starting to get dressed for the day.

Shrill laughter coming from another lunch table made Harmony look up and grimace. Her friends noticed right away her grimace, and gave her a questioning look as to what was going on with her. All day she'd been quiet, observant even, barely saying a word.

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**Short, I konw, but I can't stand for them to not be happy with each other! REVIEW! The next two chapters are long, promise!**


	45. Freaking Son of ADon't Pull Me Off!

"Massive headache. I got like an hour of sleep last night." Harmony stated truthfully, as her friends gave her a sorry look and nodded, understanding that feeling perfectly. See, this is why I prefer my friends over my parents, Harmony thought musingly to herself. By now her parents would be lecturing her about not getting enough sleep and giving her a cool compress to try and soothe her headache…but her friends would just nod and shrug, because they all knew what it felt like. There was no lecturing, no nagging…just relaxing.

"Here, take two." Matt said, sliding a small bottle of Tylenol to his best friend. The girl looked up at him gratefully, and he grinned widely, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

"What happens if I take more than two?" Harmony asked with a tiny grin working its way onto her features, as she forced most of her thoughts out of her mind and just focused on her friends.

"You'll O.D. and then we have to hide the body, and then explain to your parents how come your dead, and yadda yadda yadda. It's a hassle really." Emma said with a straight face, as Lizzie sputtered, the water she was just drinking splashing everywhere…and on everyone as she started to laugh at the joke, while the other's groaned good naturedly.

"Gasp! My new Ralph Lauren original!" Harmony said in a shocked voice, a dead on imitation of a snooty child. Her friends laughed like maniacs as she said that, knowing for sure that was _**not **_Harmony.

"Well, now that you've put all your spit on my food, I can't eat it." Matt said, laughing as he turned to Lizzie. She grinned, though a blush came onto her face and she poked once at the 'burrito' that was the school's hot lunch of the day.

"You weren't going to eat it anyway, Matthew!" Lizzie teased, using his full name purposely to get just tease him. One wouldn't think looking at the two of them that they were a couple…but they were. Boyfriend and girlfriend, they were mad about each other….though, the average high school relationship lasted only two weeks, so Harmony was wondering when they'd break up, since they were on their second week already.

"Oh shut up, the both of yiz." Harmony said, now imitating someone with a hick accent. Her friends all laughed at that, as the girl slid the bottle of Tylenol over to Matt before lifting up her tray to throw away her non-eaten burrito…or whatever it actually was.

The nearest trash can, unfortunately, was by one of the main clique's. Just keep your head down, and walk forward, Harmony thought to herself, before walking forward to the trash can, and hoping she wouldn't be seen or called out. She almost made it through tossing all her food away too. Almost.

"Ooh! Kathy! Sit by us!" Mariah cooed, waving to the girl. Her friends wondered what she had going, but were smart enough not to ask as they knew they'd just be called out for it. Silently, Harmony cussed herself for not being faster, before walking over to the table, and sitting on the edge of the bench awkwardly. She knew better than to turn down an invitation to the 'popular' table…but she also knew that Mariah was a gossip shark, and loved to make people cry.

"So, Kathyyyy…" Mariah purposely dragged out the girl's name, as one perfectly manicure nail started to tap at her chin. The table she was sitting at consisted of both boys and girls---all of them popular, of course. "Did Lucas ever finish that bet about you…?" Mariah leaned into Harmony, who could smell perfectly the vanilla perfume the girl wore as she tried to breathe normally, as the perfume was suffocating. Who the hell wore so much perfume to high school?! Honestly, there was a line between wanting that knew boy to notice you, and being a total slut.

"M!" Lucas's voice admonished, along with a bunch of other's. Some were shocked at the question, other's were squealing as they leaned in, hungry for any type of gossip.

"I'm just curious!" Mariah shot back with a grin, before turning back to a confused Harmony. Ah, just the way she liked to break the news. "So, did he?" Mariah asked, with fake question in her voice. Of course he hadn't, everyone knew that. The girl had disappeared for two months afterward, and then after her brother died…well, everyone just knew better than to bring up that date he'd asked her on.

"What bet?" Harmony asked, heart beating fast. Her palms were already getting sweaty, though she had no inkling why. She'd faced so much throughout the past year, and yet, she couldn't even talk to the most popular girl without almost freaking out over it.

"Oh? You didn't know?" Mariah asked, fakely laying it on as her thick, dark eyelashes batted up and down, as though in confusion. "Remember when Lucas asked you out? I thought you knew that was a bet between him and the guys, that he'd ask out the weirdest girl in school, and then be a no show at the date." Mariah's voice said, letting the words sink in as though she was a shark waiting for the food. Lucas looked at his friends who were all grinning, and all the girl's fake gasped, as though they hadn't known. They were all waiting for Harmony to break out in tears.

"Are you for real?" The girl asked Lucas, looking up at him with wide blue eyes from under her glasses. He said nothing, looking down at his shoes, as his cheeks flushed pink. Yes it'd been a bet, but she wasn't supposed to know about it! Damn Mariah wanting to 'spice up high school a little'. He should've known better than to tell her about the bet.

"Son of a bitch!" Harmony's voice finally screeched, as every head in the cafeteria froze, and slowly turned to the one table. Everyone looked stunned, even the teachers at hearing such language out loud. It was an unwritten rule that you never cursed so loud a teacher could hear.

Harmony didn't care though, as she seethed with rage. She grabbed Lucas by his blonde movie star locks and threw him against the floor angrily, ignoring his screams of pain. Angry blue flames licked at her fingertips, as everyone gasped, shocked that Harmony was going after Lucas, in the cafeteria no less. Then, she was on top of him, her fist's flying against his face as she yelled out every profanity she knew, and even some she made up. Her cast made an _excellent_ blunt object, Harmony realized, as she smashed it into his skull.

Lucas's friends wasted no time in cheering him on, but not joining in the fight. Lucas cowered on the ground as Harmony beat the living crap out of him, letting all her anger go out into beating the crap out of him. He made a few brave attempts to protect himself, punching Harmony's face a few times…but that only made the girl madder as she screamed and kept hitting him. Lucas screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt a crack, and then felt blood start pouring down from his nose, staining his oxford. Harmony didn't stop beating him though. She didn't stop at all as her blue eyes raged.

Her fist's flew into him crazily, as shrieks arose. Some came from her own mouth, some from other's….some from people that sounded nearby. Harmony's anger made her only focus on one thing, and one thing only. Beating the crap out of Lucas. And even when she was finally pulled off of him, her arms pinned behind her back, as still managed to deliver a few solid kicks to his torso, swearing at the top of her lungs at what a jackass he was.

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**How could he do that to her?! She's fourteen, and he made fun of her for the sake of a bet with his friends. Well, he got his, that's for sure. Tell me what you think and review!**


	46. You Really Can't Hide Anything From Mom

"…weighs a ton!" Harmony's voice said, annoyed as she switched shoulders for carrying her book bag and rolled back her sore one a few times, trying to get feeling back into it. Emma just grinned at Harmony's pain, rolling her eyes as she swam next to the girl, her tail propelling her forward.

Tail. Such a strange thing! A few months ago she would have said that no such thing as mermaids (and other words) existed…but that was before everything. Emma's tail, and shells which she could actually fill out, was not navy, but not sky blue either. It lay somewhere in between, which was fine with Emma. Actually, she was more amazed that she'd taken to swimming with a tail (through a **gianormous** _underwater castle!_) so easily.

"Cheer up." Emma said in a light tone, trying to raise her sister's spirits. "At least you don't have to go to school for the next four days." Emma's tone was light, but she couldn't hide her disappointment that Harmony wouldn't be in class with her for the next few days.

"Technically, I have to go to school in the morning to turn in that suspension slip signed by my parents." At that last part, Harmony rolled her blue eye from behind her dark glasses, knowing that she wasn't getting Ariel or Eric's signature on that suspension sheet. Everyone thought she was still the daughter of her adopted parents….and who could blame them, for not knowing everything that had happened?

"Because your parents are_ so_ going to sign that slip, right?" Emma said in a slightly sarcastic voice, knowing full well Harmony's talent for forgery. How do you think the girl got so many detentions without everyone knowing, or having her adopted parents sign it?

"Of course they're going to sign my---" Harmony cut off her sentence quickly, as she realized she was somehow already in the same room as all her aunts…and mother, who'd left a note telling her to come. Emma came lazily up beside her, switching shoulder's for her book bag to rest on, and rolling her sore one back in pain. She'd insisted that Harmony help tutor her for the English test tomorrow, and the girl had reluctantly agreed, seeing as how it was part of their deal.

"Harmony…_why _are you wearing a hat and glasses?" Ariel's voice was the first to say, as she held back the coolness in her tone as to not upset her daughter because the girl had brought her friend along. Her sisters watched in amusement as Harmony pulled her baseball hat down further, shielding her face from her mother so the woman didn't see what it now looked like.

"'Cuz I'm just cool like that. Right Em?" Harmony said, turning to her friend. Though there wasn't any pleading in her tone to change the subject, Emma just knew that's what Harmony was begging her to do.

"You sure you're not confusing cool with the word freak?" Emma said, giggling. Ariel's eyes flashed at the girl's language to her daughter, and her sisters looked taken aback, knowing that was a sensitive subject to Harmony…but the girl just laughed it off, like it was no big deal.

"Ouch. That hurts so much. Like, you can't even begin to understand the pain that one sentence has caused me Em. It's like, I'm slowly breaking apart." Harmony's tone was a giggle, as she smiled, though no one but Emma, who was right beside the girl, could see it for her baseball cap was so low.

"Please, you, in pain?" Emma said with a snort, before continuing. "I just saw you beat the crap out of Lucas at lunch today, and _you're_ talking about pain?" Emma's voice was a joke, as Harmony's eyes went wide and her face paled. Realizing her mistake almost immediately, Emma's hand slapped over her mouth, sheepishly looking at Harmony.

"Harmony…you were in another fight?" Ariel's soft voice wondered, coming up to her daughter. In a fluid motion, she had the girl's cap and glasses off…showing her what the fight had done to her _this_ time.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Arista's shocked voice said, staring at her young niece who looked down at her fins, not willing to show her face to her Aunts and mother. The girl's left eye, which had been a healing black eye before, was swollen shut. A small cut jutted out on the girl's swollen lip…but it was really the blood on Harmony's cast that caught most of the attention.

"I'll go get some ice." Andrina's calm voice said, leaving the room for a moment in search of an ice pack (and band-aids) for her niece. How is it that Harmony could look, sound, and sometimes even act a little like Ariel at that age, and yet be so completely different? For instance, Ariel never got into fights, with boys no less!

"Here honey, sit down." Alana said, steering the girl to a chair. Harmony sat in it (well, more slouched) as her Aunts and mother started to fuss over her. Attina started to brush out the girl's hair, which was a complete mess from not being brushed out properly that morning, as the rest of Harmony's Aunts started to lecture her and prod her with questions. Emma hovered nearby, not going into the protective circle around her sister, but staying out since she knew how hated she was.

"You beat up another boy?!" Adella's voice said in shock and awe. One boy was lucky, but two?! Honestly, did that girl not want to have a boyfriend, or at least let a boy like her one day?!

"He had it coming." Was all Harmony answered, as Ariel frowned.

"I thought I told you to walk away when you're angry, not get into another fight! Harmony, you're already hurt from being an _idiot_ last Friday…what in Poseidon would possess you to fight, in your condition?!" Ariel's sharp voice said. Attina looked up from quietly brushing out her niece's to shoot her youngest sister a warning glance at the tone she was using. No one needed Harmony to runaway again.

"He had it coming." Harmony said again, feeling an ice pack against her swollen shut eye, and another one being held disapprovingly to her lip, by her Aunts.

"Is that his blood?!" Aquata's shocked voice said, finally seeing the blood on Harmony's cast. The girl said nothing, as with her free hand she fiddled with the bandage that was across her still healing ribs.

"Harmony Althea, I demand you tell me what happened, _now_!" Ariel's voice rose to a yell, as Emma snickered at Harmony's name. Ariel and her sister's didn't hear it, but Harmony did. She'd get Emma back later for snickering at her middle name, but right now, she supposed she had to tell her mother _something_.

"Remember when I first came back, I said I couldn't be Harmony because my name was Kathy---which it still is---and I said I had to go back because the hottest guy in the ninth grade had just asked me out on a date?" Harmony's soft voice questioned, as her mother stopped fuming a moment, to look at the girl with a little confusion. Of course she remembered it, but she'd always just passed it off for Harmony not understanding.

"Yes…." Ariel's slow voice said, easily placing a bandage on a small cut that was on Harmony's temple.

"Turns out he only asked me out because it was a bet between him and his friends, to ask out the weirdest girl in school and then be a no show on the date. Guess who got the lucky honor of being the weirdest girl in school? Me." Harmony's voice was soft, though somehow it was steely….and sad. She'd actually thought that he wanted to talk to her. When he banged open her locker for her, when he looked into her eyes….why was it everything always got ruined in her life?

"Oh sweetheart." Ariel's soft voice sighed, hugging the girl close. Harmony didn't return the hug, but she didn't pull away. She wanted to see what lies Ariel was going to feed her this time. "Boys can be so mean." Ariel murmured into Harmony's red hair. She said nothing about you not being weird, that little voice in her head said. Harmony immediately shushed it; maybe Ariel just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

"Forget about him Harmony, he's a jerk anyway." Adella's voice soothed, taking her niece away from Ariel so she could hug the girl too. Such a thing had happened to her when she was about Harmony's age, and she could distinctly remember a time when it had happened to Arista.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Harmony's voice was indifferent, as she retreated back into herself yet again. That's what she always did in time of trouble. Retreat into herself and slowly try to kill herself later. Whether with cutting or smoking.

"Kat, wanna go chill with your cuz?" Emma's voice said easily, making it seem as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Ariel didn't release Harmony from her arms, and didn't look up either as she didn't want her daughter to see the look she would have shot at Emma.

"Yeah, sounds cool." Harmony's voice sounded out from her mother's arms, as Ariel released her daughter from her protective arms to stare at the girl in shock. Harmony, go out, when she looked like this?!

"No you're not." Ariel's impatient voice said, as Harmony looked up at her mother as though the woman was no more than a annoying fly on the wall.

"Who's. Going. To. Stop. Me." Harmony said in an even tone, before grabbing a confused and worried Emma's hand and sprinting out of the room, not bothering to pick up her bag. She'd do that later.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Ariel's soft voice said, collapsing back onto the couch (one of them) and holding a pillow to her chest tightly and sighing heavily. Attina looked at the door where Harmony had just disappeared, to her sister, before coming to sit by Ariel.

"It'll all work out in the end Ariel, don't worry." Attina's gentle voice said, acting as a "mother" to her youngest sister, the role she'd been playing for as long as Ariel could remember. "Want to go see Momma now? She really is sorry for what she said, right girls?" Attina asked her sisters, as they all nodded in agreement. Ariel gave another deep sigh, before closing her eyes a moment and letting the entire world stop spinning. When she reopened them, there was a small, humorless smile on her weary features.

"Sure, why not." Ariel's voice said, showing it's weariness in and out. All of her sisters noticed…but not one said a word about it.

* * *

**VERY LONGGGGG! Should have been two chapters...but I didnt' know where to cut it in half! So, it's longgggggg! Review and tell me what you think of this chapter, before the easter bunny gets a shotgun and---sorry, my mind is very strange. **


	47. A Small Idea

Harmony suddenly felt the presence of warm arms hugging her. Warm small arms to be exact. Wiping off a tear from her face, she looked down to see Serene's big brown eyes staring at her with a quizzical expression.

"Why are you crying? Is it because you got hurt? One time I had a black eye too and my mommy made me sit and put ice on it for a whole ten minutes!" The younger girl questioned, her brown eyes sincere at the story she'd just said. She'd come in here because she'd heard singing; it had been so soft that she knew none of the adults had heard it…but she did, because Ash had taken Darwin, and she was trying to find him to take Darwin back and then she passed the music room and she heard Harmony singing and then she found her crying and she didn't like Harmony crying because Harmony was really nice to her.

" 'S nothin' munchkin." Harmony said, sniffling as she wiped off the last of her tears. Emma was sitting on the piano, but said not a word to Harmony's tears, choosing instead to ignore them as she knew her friend would like.

"Are you sure? Because one time, I started crying, and then my mommy asked me why and I said it was nothing and she said I had to tell her but I didn't and then I felt really bad so I told her and I felt a lot better. Maybe you should tell _your_ mommy!" Serene talked a mile a minute, chatting away happily as only a six year old can. Harmony grinned at the little girl, before shaking her head.

"I just have an allergy that makes you cry a lot munchkin, that's all. I don't need to tell my Mom." Because she wouldn't understand, Harmony mentally added, before looking back down at Serene who nodded her young in as she said "Ohhhhh!"

"Hey kid, why don't you go play or something? Me and Harmony have some teenager things to do." Emma lied easily, as Serene frowned, not knowing who this was to boss her around.

"Go and play munchkin." Harmony said to the younger girl, who pouted and shook her head furiously. Harmony sighed heavily, before looking once more down at the girl with a pleading expression. Serene refused to comply. Alright then, this calls for bribery. "I'll give you candy if you let me and Emma go do teenage things….and not tell anyone about my allergy."

"You will!" Serene's pout turned into an expression of excitement as her eyes grew wide at the thought of candy.

"Uh huh. But remember, you gotta leave me and Emma alone, and never tell anyone about my allergy. Or else you don't get any candy. Deal?" Harmony extended her pinky finger, knowing that kids Serene's age always did pinky promises instead of spit shakes.

"Deal!" Serene squealed, hooking her pinky with Harmony before hugging her oldest cousin tightly. Then swimming off, she beamed at the thought of candy.

"The old club place?" Harmony asked, turning to Emma who nodded, understanding the question. Harmony wanted to just hang out with her friend, feel normal, have a life…if only for a few hours.

"Sounds cool." Emma said, grinning as Harmony clasped her hands in her own. With a few simple whispered words, Harmony shut her blue eyes tightly as a water tornado started to spin around the girls. It went faster, and faster, and faster! Until…it stopped.

"GAH! Harmony!" A voice admonished, as Harmony reopened her eyes to see…her cousin Coral and Melody, looking up at her with shock and surprise. Shrugging, the girl sat next to them on the floor of the old club, Emma right on her fins as the girl sat by Harmony.

"You scared me! I mean—your face is…." Melody couldn't rightly go on, not willing to look up at her sister's beaten up face. "Did you…get into a fight?" Melody's soft voice wondered, gulping at the thought of someone doing that to her face. As she was the identical twin (besides the hair) of her sister she could almost feel it on her own face!

"Yeah. Beat the crap out of Lucas." Harmony said with a grin, to Emma's rolling of eyes and Coral's small laugh. Melody just looked uncomfortable at the fact that Emma was here. Oh well. The sooner she got over the fact that Emma was a better sister than she, the better. "Whatcha doing?" Harmony questioned, as Coral and Melody both gave heavy, bored sighs.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm so bored! I wish I could like, do something!" Melody groaned dramatically, before continuing on. "This week is going to be so boring. Mom and Dad have one of those all day meetings tomorrow, and it'll probably go way into the night so Wednesday they'll probably sleep in and be too tired to do anything…and Friday there's a ball at the palace, which we're not allowed to go to because 'it's for adults only'!" Melody said, a bit angrily as she thought about it. So there was going to be wine there, big deal! She'd seen her parents drink a glass of wine before, what was the difference!

"I'm going to be hiding from everyone this week." Coral announced, as Harmony raised her brows in question to the girl, ignoring the over dramatic Melody. Coral proudly stood up…showing off her new belly button ring to her cousin and friend.

"Nice! I've always wanted to get my belly button pierced…." Emma said wistfully, high fiving Coral who grinned happily. Of course, if her mother knew she'd be dead within the hour…actually, if anyone in her family knew, she'd be dead within the hour.

"So that's why you needed me to forge your Mom's signature!" Harmony said with an easy laugh to her cousin. Before she'd brought Athena back, in the twenty minutes before actually, Coral had begged her to forge Attina's signature on some sheet that Harmony didn't read because she'd been more scared about doing the spell.

"Your mom has no clue then?" Emma questioned slowly, a small grin working it's way onto her pretty features. Coral smiled widely and shook her head, as she laughed happily. She'd wanted to get her belly button pierced for months! Finally, after school, she'd been able to do it with her friends, thanks to Harmony's perfect forgery on the parental consent form.

"None." Coral said happily; glad to be a rebel against her mother. Attina, who'd always been the oldest and in charge, and naturally thought her daughter would follow after her, being the oldest of the merchildren (since Harmony and Melody only came for visits, and never stayed more than the weekend). But Coral hadn't wanted to be like her mother…she wanted to be herself, and if getting her belly button pierced was what it was going to take to make her herself…well, so be it. "But I have to keep it in for the next week, otherwise the hole will close up. That's why I'm hiding." Coral said with an easy laugh, as all the girl's (besides goody-two shoes Melody) grinned, understanding what she meant.

"I've got detention for the next four days, for kicking Lucas after he hurt this one." Emma confessed next, pointing a thumb in the direction of Harmony. "So basically I can say goodbye to my social life for the next week." Emma sighed at that, dramatically as Harmony laughed good naturedly, before taking the cue and confessing next.

"I'm suspended for the next four days for fighting…and I've got nothing to do on the weekend." The girl said a grimace on her face as she realized how lame that was. She was always free on the weekends, every night of them come to think of it. Oh sure, she could sneak out, go to the beach…but that just wasn't fun anymore, since she'd done it so many times. Sighing, the girl let her eyes wander around the abandoned music room…before a slow idea started to form in her mind.

"Hey guys," Harmony said slowly, breaking up the chatter between Emma, Coral, and Melody. Well, actually Melody was only speaking to Coral, who in turn was speaking to both Emma and Melody, but whatever. All the girls turned to look at her as a small grin started to fall into her face.

"Want to start up an underground club?"

* * *

**Wow, Coral is really the next Harmony, isn't she? A total rebel....I'm starting to really love her! Melody, your just a whiney little bitch. That's all you'll ever be to me, so ugghmhmmm (sticking toungue out noise). OOH, Harmony has an idea for an underground club! I wonder what it could mean?! Has she finally gone mad....or is she finally catching onto a good idea? Hmmm...well, review and find out! ANd by review, not that I don't LOVE xJadeRainx's reviews, is just that I would like not only her to review. C'mon, I want everyone who hasn't reviewed in forever to just do it, please. It makes me happy to see someone besides one person likes my work still! **

**.....REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**


	48. Catfish Club The Next Generation

There was a silence in the room for a moment…before a shriek came out of Melody's mouth before she could stop it.

"What?!" Melody's voice shrieked out, as Harmony regarded her calmly, not speaking because she knew that Coral had a few things to say. And like always (okay, not _always_ but most times….alright, alright, for the first time in her life!) she was correct.

"An underground club? What do you mean exactly?" Coral's slow voice questioned out, letting the thought sink in, if you'll excuse the pun. What was her cousin talking about? Re-making the Catfish Club?

"Every Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night we can have a dance club, here!" Harmony said excitedly, starting to get pumped up at the idea as she continued. "It'll be just for teenagers, and this could be their hangout! We can play music the way we want to, dance the way we want to, let everyone who wants to sing or play an instrument do that, and there would be no adults to tell us that we can't do this or that! A place where all teenagers can just relax, and there would be no popular kids, no dorky kids…everyone would be equal!" Harmony kept chatting away, unaware that the rest of the girls had grown silent. "Every teenager in Atlantica could sneak out, come here, and just live life the way they want to for three nights every week! Isn't it an amazing idea?!" Harmony finally asked, out of breath as she blue eyes shined. Quickly putting her inhaler to her mouth to catch her breath again, Emma was the first to start speaking about her idea.

"So…you mean it's like a camp social—er—dance? Where teenagers can do what they want, without anyone telling them to stop it?" Emma's voice slowly formed the words, thinking each one through as she looked up at Harmony, who furiously nodded her head.

"This could be the secret place teenagers like us can go on weekend nights, just to have some fun before they have to go back to the same old routine in the morning!" Harmony's voice was excited beyond belief, as Coral was the one who spoke up now, her mind fully around the idea.

"A place where there's no parents to supervise us and tell us what to do…" Coral's slow voice murmured, before her green eyes brightened up as she looked at her cousin. "Let's do it! I'll spread the word to every teenager in Atlantica to come by Friday! It's the best idea ever! I can't believe we didn't think of it before!" Coral's voice cheered, a smile lighting up her features as she brushed her hair back with her hand. While her mother kept her hair in a tight up do, Coral was too lazy for that and she let her brown locks flow loose behind her back.

"It'll be like a camp social." Emma stated, her eyes shining too as she thought of it. "I'm so totally in!" She laughed, sticking her hand into the middle so that it was on top of Harmony's, who had Coral's hand over her own. Grinning, Harmony was about to start talking a mile a minute about her idea…before she noticed one person was missing from the circle.

"Mel?" Harmony questioned, gazing at her sister with a pleading glance. Melody looked caught between telling an adult about this, as she'd been trained to do since she was a young child, or finally fitting in with her sister, cousin, and maybe even find that Emma girl bearable.

"Um…" Melody said, biting her lip as her blue eyes kept shifting from her cousin, sister, and sister's friend to the old abandoned club's shell door, which Harmony had recently put up (using magic of course) because it was annoying her to see no door. "I'll do it on one exception. No drinking and getting drunk. Okay?" Melody asked, biting her lip as her eyes were wide with sheepishness and sadness that she was the responsible one. The girls looked at each other for a moment, thinking that thought over before Harmony let out a dramatic sigh and nodded.

"Fine." The girl said, her voice the epitome of exasperation, but only because she was being melodramatic on purpose. "No alcohol." Harmony would have added the same goes for drugs, but knowing Atlantica from her swimming, talking dictionary (Coral) she was pretty sure that there weren't any drugs like cocaine or heroin under water.

"I'm…in then. I guess." Melody said, sticking her hand into the middle with everyone else's. Harmony suddenly drew back her hand for a moment, and all the girls looked at her with wondering eyes.

"Spit on your hands." The girl instructed. Emma did so without complaint, knowing that this was better than doing one of those creepy blood oaths to each other. Coral scrunched up her nose in disgust, but spit on her hand finally. Melody was the only one who looked truly horrified at having to spit on her own hand.

"I won't do it! That's so gross!" The girl complained, as Harmony fixed her a steely stare that bore right into the girl. Suddenly, Melody started to move jerkily, her mouth opening and spitting on her left hand as she put it in the middle, her movements like a robot. A deformed robot at that. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, admitting an ew and shooting a look at her sister for making her do such a horrifying thing.

"Hands in the middle." Harmony's next instructions came out, as Emma and Coral put their spit filled hands on top of Melody's and Harmony's, swallowing up how disgusting this was so they didn't sound like whiney little bitches.

"No matter what, were all in this together." Harmony started, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "And, this isn't just some old abandoned underground club that no one uses. From now on, this is:

Catfish Club—The Next Generation."

* * *

**Alright, yes I stole the name 'Next Generation' from Degrassi--The Next Generation, which stole it from the show Star Trek--The Next Generation. ALrighty, so like two chapters ago Harmony sang a song about Ryan. THe song is by Taylor Swift, and is called 'Best Day' obviously. I don't own it whatsoever, i'm just obessed with listening to it on my iPod. Watch the music video if you get curious about the song--it's so sweet! **

**Also, i don't own Serene. Or Darwin, her stuffed Sea Horse. xJadeRainx owns both of them sadly. Maybe she'll sell them to me...naw, i could never buy Serene! Her cuteness would make the price up to like 1000000000000000000000000000 dollars, or pounds if you live in like Europe or something like that. You know what?**

** Europe sounds alot like Syrup. **

**Shamoo sounds alot like Shampoo. **

**Write sounds alot like Right. **

**Goldfish still sounds like Goldfish though. **

**....My new obsession books--Maximum Ride and City of Bones. If you like Harmony, than trust me, these books are for you to read. They're so good! Oh but just to warn you if you do read them; Jace and Fang are MINE! I will marry both of them one day, somehow, though this might be impossible seeing as how they're fictional characters! Anyway, read them, cuz they rock! And though it's against the law to marry more than one person, I think the law should make an exception for me because I"m just that amazing. RIght, Right, right? Oh Screw you, I KNOW I am. HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! **

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	49. Blunt and Obvious

Harmony refused to go to Atlantica. No matter how much pleading from her cousin and sister, she refused to go back. She really didn't need to catch up with Athena, and she wasn't too keen on the idea of seeing her mother with the black eye she now had so soon after she'd told the woman off. Finally, when pleading and begging didn't work, and dragging also didn't work because Harmony froze their hands the minute they put them on her arm, Melody and Coral left to go back, resolving with Harmony and Emma that they'd meet in the club tomorrow.

Harmony and Emma hung out in the club the rest of the afternoon. They talked, laughed, did homework (while finding some perverted way to describe every word problem in math)…it felt just like old times again, before all of…everything happened. Too soon though, Emma realized that it was way past the time she should have been home at, so with a hug to Harmony, she was sent back home.

Harmony lingered in the club for about an hour, letting her soft singing voice sing utter nonsense. But utter nonsense calmed down her nerves, somehow. With a heavy sigh, the girl realized she must be missed back at the palace. Popping her prescription anti-depressant pills into her mouth quickly, the girl swallowed them and trudged back to the palace.

"What happened to your eye?!?" Eric's shocked voice said, practically choking on his wine, staring at Harmony's full on black eye with wide eyes that just spelled his distaste for it. Ariel sipped at her wine nonchalantly, not looking at her husband or daughter as thoughts swirled in her head.

"I got into a fight." Harmony said with a shrug, passing it off as though it was a normal thing. "Oh, and that reminds me. I don't have school for the next four days. Some type of holiday thing." Harmony lied smoothly to cover up the fact that she was suspended from school.

"A fight?!" Eric's eyes blazed at the thought of a princess—much less his own daughter—in another fight! "I thought it was made clear that that's not the sort of thing a young lady does! Harmony, just look at your eye! That's going to take weeks, maybe even a month to heal, and your lip! We've talked to you about fighting before, and you refused to listen, so that only leaves one option young lady. Your grounded." Eric's voice was sharp, but Harmony only raised her brows at it as though she was saying 'oh, really?' Melody looked scared because she knew that tone of voice from her father…and that's when Ariel stepped in.

"Eric, I think you're going just a bit overboard on this." Ariel, for once, was completely calm and being the more reasonable one, as her husband turned to her with wide flashing eyes.

"Ariel, I will not let my daughter do whatever she wants because it pleases her! Who knows how that could end!" Eric's voice wasn't as sharp with Ariel as it was with Harmony, because in all honestly it was too difficult to be mad at the woman he loved.

"My love, before you ground her, you have to know that Lucas," Here Ariel paused for a moment, as she searched for the right words. Finally finding them, a small smile spread to her lips. "Really _did_ have it coming."

"Ariel, what on earth are you talking about?! How can someone—" Eric stopped abruptly, as he felt his wife put her shoe over his, and press down. For someone who didn't weigh over 105 pounds, and was 5'7, Ariel could really hurt someone when she wanted to, which was exactly what she was doing to her husband, all the while smiling a reassuring smile to her daughter.

"Sweetheart, just try not to lose your temper again, alright? I know boys at your age can be…_immature,_ but remember that girls mature faster than boys. So even though their fourteen, they still act like seven year olds." Ariel said in a sweet voice to her daughter, smiling daintily at the girl.

"Ariel—" Eric didn't even get to finish his sentence, as more pressure was applied to his foot, possibly even leaving a bruise. Ariel turned her head to her husband, her eyes wide and innocent as she smiled at him.

"Yes?" She wondered, her eyebrows raised at him in question, though her eyes were telling him that if he said anything about Harmony fighting, she wouldn't mind putting more pressure on his foot.

"Never mind darling." Eric said, as Ariel frowned a moment her brows furrowing perfectly as though she didn't know what he had been about to say before smiling it off. How is it she was acting so perfectly, Eric wondered to himself.

"Mother, can Harmony and I have a sleep over with Coral and Emma Friday night?" Melody's curious voice asked, including Emma. Harmony was right, no matter what; they were now all in it together. Perhaps Melody wasn't to fond of Emma, but the girl was making her sister happy, and if Harmony was happy she wasn't trying to hurt herself so Melody supposed it wouldn't hurt to at least talk to the girl and stop shooting her icy looks.

"Emma?" Ariel's smile faltered at the name, looking her daughters up to down. Melody looked hopeful…Harmony looked grateful that she wasn't being grounded. Nothing in their features said anything about being up to something. "You two want to sleep over, in Atlantica, with Coral and Emma?" Ariel's smile by now was gone, as Melody nodded furiously, her eyes hoping that her mother would say yes.

"Absolutely—" Ariel suddenly cut off as she felt Eric's booted foot over hers in a second, pressing down on her foot. Not hard, but just enough pressure to keep her from talking.

"I agree with your mother. Friday the four of you girls can have a sleepover in _**Atlantica**_, which is, _under water_, and **not** in the palace." Eric was hoping his wife would catch his meaning. She did. A flash of an expression went over her face, as she realized both her daughter would be gone, miles away. And after drinking wine at the ball, both adults wouldn't go to right to sleep….

"Thank you Dad!" Melody squealed in delight, giving her father a quick peck on the cheek before running off in the direction of who knew where. Harmony stayed at the table, her blue eyes shifting between her mother and father as both gazed at her silently with an expectant expression to leave.

"You know, you don't have to make it so obvious that Friday with me and Melody gone you're going to have sex. Next time, be more subtle. That way I don't feel the urge to barf up my food." Harmony shuddered at that as she got up from the table, as both her parents eyes went wide and both their cheeks blushing immensely.

* * *

**Oh Harmony! I'm laughing because she's so blunt and obvious to her own parents! **


	50. Don't Ever Say His Name

Harmony woke up the next day feeling like…well, actually, she didn't know what she felt like. She knew she'd cried herself to sleep, and she saw that her sheets weren't attached to her bed like they usually were…but her thoughts were too muddled from waking up and she wasn't in the mood to sort through them. Stealing a look at the Grandfather clock, she saw that it was already noon. Hm. Lunch was probably going on…and she was hungry…nah. She'd fill up on candy and sketch, that's what she'd do today, Harmony summarized.

Getting up from her bed, she left the sheets as they were, knowing that once the palace realized she was awake they'd be changed and the bed made anyway. Walking to her dressing room to pick something to wear for the day, she found a note stuck to her mirror. Curious, she picked it off and started to read.

Harmony,

Your father and I have an all day conference today, It will probably go on way past the time you'll be asleep (well, should be anyway). Please get dressed and since you have no school since you're suspended for fighting (no school closes for four days straight for no particular reason darling, and I wasn't born yesterday) I would appreciate it if you confined yourself to the palace—but I know you're not going to , so then at least be back for dinner with your sister, or else I'll send search parties out for you.

Love, Mom

P.S. For once sweetheart, can you try to be good? Please?"

Harmony read the note a few times over, before sighing and looking out the window. A storm was brewing anyway, and as much as she wanted to try her luck at surfing during a storm, without her parents here to yell at her for being an idiot there really was no point.

"I guess I'll spend today in the library." Harmony sighed, speaking the words aloud. It's not that she didn't love the palace library. Literally, there were hundreds upon hundreds of books that she could choose from…but she didn't want to be so cooped up. Melody was being tutored, probably now having lunch alone. Emma was in school, with the rest of Harmony's friends…if she went to the mall everyone would think she was ditching…she couldn't really do a thing.

"Oh, what a blustery day." Harmony sighed, as rain started pelting the small window of her dressing room. Thunder cracked dangerously outside, as Harmony stared longingly at the waves, before sighing again and starting to get dressed. She pulled on an aqua blue dress and didn't bother with shoes. Without her mother here, it really didn't matter if she wore them or not.

The girl looked once around her dressing room…and sighed. There really was nothing to do. If she was in her other world, she could watch T.V. that had been Tivo-ed, or even play some stupid electronic game. But she wasn't. Sighing, the girl headed for the library.

Ariel gave a silent sigh as she tried to pay attention to what the Earl of Gracie was saying. Eric gave her hand a small squeeze in comfort, though he was looking straight ahead and nodding at what the Earl was saying. The Queen tried to pay attention…but in that monotone voice the Earl was talking in she felt like she was going to fall asleep! Ariel wondered if this is what Harmony meant by how 'high school was so boring and stupid that not falling asleep is a miracle'.

Ariel, who was about a second away from just slumping in her throne and falling asleep, squeezed Eric's hand twice, a silent message to him that she needed a break. Though this code may be childish, it had always helped them survive these all day meetings.

"Excuse me gentleman, but I have to check up on my daughter Harmony. She's feeling a bit under the weather today." Ariel said in a sweet voice, winking to the gentleman as though she was sharing some sort of joke with them. Chuckles rang out as Ariel almost rolled her eyes at how easily they believed her lie. No doubt Harmony's lying abilities came from Ariel,

Walking out of the throne room, the minute the doors were shut behind her…she gave a relieved sigh. It was only around two, so that meant Melody was still being tutored…and Harmony could be anywhere in the world. Determined to find her red headed daughter though, Ariel went to the first place where she hoped the girl might be. The library.

Ariel tried to open the library doors, but of course, they were stuck like usual. Letting an aggravated sigh escape her lips, she pushed harder against the doors until finally they swung open. She really should have those doors replaced, Ariel noted to herself, before letting her eyes scan the room full of books.

And there was Harmony, curled up with a book on one of the chairs, next to the warm fire that played off her already red hair. The girl's eyes were closed, and she was wearing her glasses which were slightly askew on her face. One of her hands fell over the book she'd been reading, as her body was completely relaxed. She was sleeping, Ariel realized, a warm smile filling her face as she looked at the girl.

Walking over to her daughter, Ariel gently took her glasses off and set them on the low table nearby. Harmony had pretty good vision in this world but still needed them to read. In her other she was practically blind without her glasses. It was amazing that they hadn't broken when she got into that last fight. Tucking a piece of red hair behind her daughter's ear, Ariel's hand fell down to rest on her shoulder…and it brushed against something cold.

Furrowing her brows, Ariel did the movement again, feeling that same cold brush as she did. Letting her slender fingers search for the cold object, Ariel had to let her fingers go into her daughter's dress…until she pulled out a chain. Though, not just any type of chain. It was a gold chain, with a small pendant on the bottom that said '#1 Little Sister'. What in the…?

"Huh? Mom?" Harmony groggily said, sitting up better as she saw the fuzzy out line of her mother leaning over her. Blinking her eyes out of their sleepy state, Harmony yawned at looked at Ariel with a tired questioning expression.

"Hello to you too sweetheart." Ariel said in a loving voice, kissing Harmony's cheek since the girl still had that awful bandage on her forehead. Still holding the pendant in her fingers, her blue eyes searched her daughter for any indication of what on earth this was. There wasn't. "Honey, what's this? Is it Melody's?" Melody was the younger sister, so it would be more reasonable that it was hers.

"No." Harmony answered, fully awake now. Her voice was curt, and she made sure to keep out any emotion besides gruffness in it. Still, Ariel persisted, with that same unmistakable curiosity that transformed her into a human.

"Is it…Emma's?" Ariel asked, any love immediately drying up when she said 'Emma'. Why couldn't Harmony just befriend her own, blood sister? Why couldn't she just get over what Melody had done to her?

"Emma's the oldest sibling Mom." Harmony said with a snort, as Ariel kept her temper down by swallowing it and then forcing a fake smile onto her face. Harmony saw right through it in a moment.

"Then who's necklace is this sweetheart? It can't be yours because you've always been the….Oldest. Sister. Oh." Ariel's mind finally put two and two together, as Harmony refused to look at her mother; instead she snapped her head away and took the pendant out of her mother's fingers. "Ryan gave this to you, didn't he?" Ariel asked in a soft voice, as Harmony's head finally perked up and she stared with hatred at her mother.

"Don't you ever say his name damn it! You didn't know him, you don't care that he's dead! For the sake of all that's holy, you locked me in jail after I told you he killed himself! You don't shit about death, damn it!" Harmony yelled, blue eyes alight with fire as Ariel stumbled back a few steps, finally catching herself as Harmony jumped onto her feet. The necklace was on the outside of her clothes now, showing fully as it hung around her neck.

All was quiet in the room, as one girl stared angrily at her mother, and the mother stared back at her daughter…with sadness. Ariel sighed heavily, letting her hand trace a couch arm rest as she quietly looked down at it, not saying a word before she sighed again and looked up at her daughter.

"Believe it or not Harmony, I've had to deal with something that's even worse than dying in my life."


	51. Lost Within Memories

Harmony's bitter laugh filled the library, as Ariel stole a quick look at the clock. She'd been gone for ten minutes now…she should probably be heading back to the conference. Still, she wanted Harmony to know this.

"Like what," Harmony asked bitterly, spitting out the words in anger. "You broke your nail and it took you a whole week for it to grow back?" Harmony asked in a hurt, angry voice, her features twisted into a scowl. Ariel only sighed hurtfully again, closing her eyes as she pictured that one person in her mind.

"No, something much, much worse." Ariel said softly, hurt spilling into her voice as she continued. "I lost my daughter for eleven years." Ariel's voice was so soft that wind could have been louder. Harmony stared at her mother, her blue eyes not understanding what she was talking about.

"You didn't lose me." Harmony said softly. "I wasn't dead, therefore, I wasn't lost. I was just…in another world." Harmony's voice was soft, as her gaze was directed to the rug. Ariel gave a tiny, pained smile as she shook her head, crossing over to her daughter as she hugged the girl in her arms.

"But I had no way of knowing that, my darling little tune. One minute all I had to do was pick you up in my arms and you'd giggle…the next…you were just…gone. And for exactly eleven, only a few days shy of twelve years, I had no idea if you were dead or still alive. I would look at Melody and wonder if you were a living, breathing, happy little girl like she was…or were you underground, in a casket? Those questions, sweetheart, are what haunted me for eleven straight years. Trust me Harmony, there's no worse pain than not knowing." Ariel was lost within herself, as a tear fell down off her face and onto her daughter's head. Harmony looked up at her mother, wondering why the woman was crying…was it really that bad if she'd been missing.

Sniffling, Ariel quickly regained herself and brushed off the tear stain from her face and stopped hugging her daughter, letting the girl finally go. "I'm sorry honey, I was just…remembering things." Ariel said, quickly shaking off her memories as she looked back down at her daughter. "I don't mind if you wear that necklace. Actually, I think it'd look better if it was outside of your clothes, rather than in." Ariel said with a bit of warmth once again filling her tone.

"Um…yeah. I guess it would." Harmony said, her brows raised high and her eyes wondering what secrets her mother held.

"I've got to go back to that meeting now, your father is probably wondering if I've runaway." Ariel gave herself a little chuckle at that, swallowing that feeling of sadness down as she kissed Harmony's cheek gently. "Be good now." Ariel said with a smile, walking out of the room to go back to her husband in the meeting.


	52. You Just Got Owned, Old Timer

Ariel slipped into her throne easily and silently, startling most of the gentlemen in the room as one minute she wasn't there, and the next she was. Eric might have been startled, have it not been for fifteen years of knowing how silent his wife could be when she was thinking hard.

"How's Harmony?" Eric's voice was completely quiet, and though his lips barely moved, he knew Ariel had heard him. Ariel stared straight ahead at the Duke of Berthox who was talking about something important…that Ariel didn't give a shit about at the moment.

"She's fine…sleeping actually." Ariel said, a firm expression of listening etched onto her face as she pretended to actually listen to the Duke. Eric turned to her, disbelief in his eyes, but it was only for a moment before he turned his head back.

"Want to tell me the truth?" Eric asked, and if he wasn't trying to do two things at once—listen to the Duke and try to talk to Ariel—he would have had a true answer out from his wife by now.

"Later Eric." Ariel said, ending the conversation between her and her husband as she turned to face the Duke better. "Yes, I understand that fishing is the main export of the kingdom, but you have to understand that the merpeople are already uncomfortable with the amount that's already going on. I don't want to have a strained relationship with them." Ariel stated wisely, letting a sigh escape her lips as she looked at the Duke of Berthox.

"But your majesty, don't you think you're letting family matters interfere with your duty?" The Duke wondered, as Ariel's expression turned from wise…to outright pure coldness. Letting her blue eyes stare down the man, she pursed her lips out, ignoring Eric's pleading glance to just let it go.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" The red headed beauty snapped, as the man kept up his opinion. Eric already knew that this was going to end badly.

"It's supposed to mean that you won't take off the restrictions for fishing because your family lives in Atlantica." The man snapped back at the Queen, he himself taken aback at what he was saying. "And not to mention that you've been spending a good amount of your time down there lately, with the only heir this kingdom has. Your daughter Melody. If she get's hurt down there, how are we, the people, supposed to know what to do?!" The man spat this out, as Ariel's expression turned from cool to murderous as she stared the man down.

"How I raise _my_ daughters is not your concern sir." Ariel had to practically force herself to use a polite 'sir' at the end of that sentence. "And also, _my_ daughter Harmony will be ascending the throne when she is of age, not Melody."

That point could be debatable, Harmony thought to herself, watching the scene unfold in front of her as she watched her mother in action from a crack in the door. It was like watching a movie, except with no popcorn.

"No offense to you, your majesties," Duke de Kiln, another one of the gentlemen in the room, piped up. "But as we are the people of the kingdom…I'm one hundred percent sure that no one would like to see a slutty, spoiled, freak-witch-child, on the throne one day. No one will stand for it…actually, it would be best if she was sent to live with her adopted parents again, that way she doesn't have to even be _near _the people of this kingdom." Duke de Kiln stated, as the door slammed open, revealing a pretty darn mad Harmony.

"Well fuck you _and_ this kingdom then. But just remember old timer," Harmony sneered, her voice like icicles as she stood face to face with the man, standing on her toes to reach his height. "When you and every one of those idiot adults that hate me are gone in fifty years, I'll still be around and you can't do anything about that. So why don't you sit down, and shut up." Harmony said with clenched teeth, before turning abruptly on her heel and walking away.

* * *

**Damn, Duke de Kiln just got owned! Though, I'm sure Harmony's parents aren't going to be to happy about what she said...review and find out soon!**


	53. Broken Hearts Still Beat

Harmony walked along the shore line, a lump in her throat as she tried to swallow it. So many thoughts passed through her mind…and not one of them made any sense. She wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered as the freezing rain pelted at her, full of fury the storm was. The wind roared in anger, the waves crashed spitefully against the sandy shore…and the fact that it was probably 20 degrees (farenheight) and she was only in her jean shorts, plus her tight tee (she'd changed after…what that ass had said about her) didn't help either.

Sighing, she stared longingly out at the sea, closing her eyes as she let her voice be lost into the storm.

"_I_ _can take the rain on the clothes on my back  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let 'em out_

Harmony had always been so afraid to cry…but now she just had to. 

I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while even though  
Goin' on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay  
But that's not what gets me

Every day she pretended she was fine, that the world was fine…but it wasn't. It would never be.

_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And havin' so much to say  
And watchin' you die away  
_

She'd been so damn close to him! Why hadn't she stopped him from killing himself?!

_And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seein' that lovin' you  
Is what I was tryin' to do  
_

She loved him—in the family way…but he couldn't take that.

_  
It's hard to deal with the pain of losin' you everywhere I go  
But I'm doin' it  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still harder gettin' up, gettin' dressed, livin' with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade, give away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken_

Anything. That's what she do if she could bring back her brother. 

What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And havin' so much to say  
And watchin' you die away

Was there really so much blood in one person, could it be that someone had that much blood in them?

_And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seein' that lovin' you  
Is what I was tryin' to do, oh  
Oh yeah_

She'd tried so hard to let him down gently…this should be a warning that she could never go out with someone!

What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And havin' so much to say  
And watchin' you die away

She'd been close enough to touch him, tell him he was wrong, lie to him…why hadn't she?

_  
And never knowin'  
What could've been  
And not seein' that lovin' you  
Is what I was tryin' to do  
_

He could have grown up, a man with a family, and she'd still see him and laugh about this and that about their childhood…and now he was gone.

_  
Not seein' that lovin' you  
That's what I was trying to do. _

Without a second glance back, Harmony jumped into the frigid stormy waters of the sea.

The water, naturally, was frigid. If it was at least 20 degrees on land, then it had to be at least 5 in the water. Possibly in the negatives, if Harmony's opinion mattered.

Her red head broke through the surface, gasping for air as her arms splashed around—well more thrashed as though she was drowning—trying to keep her afloat. It didn't work. A wave crashed over her head, pelting her with more freezing water, and a bit of seaweed—her favorite type of weed of be exact.

Her head once again broke through the surface, but this time things were less clear. The water was growing more dangerous by the second, as the waves roared in defiance. She whimpered as she saw that she was caught in some type of current, and desperate for her survival all of the sudden, she tried to swim against it.

Now, if she'd lived in Miami and had been going to the beach all her life, or if she'd lived in California—any state that had water near it really—she'd have known that trying to swim against a strong current is one of the worst things you can ever do. So is thrashing around, and also so is trying to dunk your head back into the frigid water (don't ask). But Harmony had never seen the beach before she'd come back to her real parents…so she didn't know any of that, and unfortunately, did it all.

"AHH—!" Harmony was abruptly cut off from her scream, as salt water filled her mouth. The girl tried swimming against the angry current, panicking beyond belief, but was pushed back even further into the sea and storm that raged in it. Sure, she could just turn into a mermaid, but when your caught in the middle of a fierce storm, desperate to save your life, that's not always the first thought that crosses your mind.

"HARMONY!" A voice called out, but it was so distant…Harmony was losing the battle with the waves as she was so exhausted now. Everything was starting to catch up with her, the tears, terror, fears, and finally, her tiredness. Slowly, her body went slack as she felt herself being pushed around by the furious waves. Everything was so blurry, so hard to see. Were those her tears…or were they the water? The world grew into a haze, as Harmony felt herself being pulled down farther in the waves.

Farther, and farther. Fathoms below, a sailor might say, but the girl knew somewhere in her semi conscious mind that she wasn't in Atlantica, so she really couldn't be fathoms below. The water seemed colder and darker now, as the girl shivered and closed her eyes at the same time, a final breath escaping her, as water filled in her mouth at that.  
"So close." Hamrony muttered, though her human voice was muffled by the water as it came out sounding more like 'bur bur bur bur bur bur'. Finally, the girl felt the fast paced beating of her heart, as her lungs expanded and went back to normal in an effort to find some type of air. She was slowly, so slowly, dying….

"Damn it Harmony!" Coral's voice cursed, finally locating her block head of a cousin as she—with some strength that comes rooted from fear that the girl might die—managed to pull her cousin up to the surface. The girl didn't breathe as her head broke the surface.

Cursing to herself, but still having her heart beat with fear that her cousin might be lost, Coral went through wave through wave, crashing finally onto the shore exhaustedly as she clenched her teeth and pulled her cousin up to the sand. The human girl still wasn't breathing.

What did she do, the girl panicked in her mind. Did she swim and get help, or cal to Aunt Ariel—or start screaming her head off?! What was she supposed to—oh right!

A sudden thought hit Coral as she clenched her hand into a tight fist, and drove in right into her cousin's stomach. Harmony started to cough up salt water, her blue eyes opening and closing, opening and closing, as she felt her body shake. Whether from fear that she might have been lost, or that she was freezing cold.

"Harmony." Coral's eyes filled with tears as it suddenly dawned on her how close she'd been to losing her favorite cousin. That relief was quickly overshadowed by something else though—anger. "You blockhead! Damn it Harmony, you can't go swimming in a storm! At least, not if your human! And if you were going to do it as a human, you should have at least invited me along so I could save your sorry ass when you fell!" Coral said angrily, as Harmony coughed up more, before managing to sit up on her elbow. It might be strange that Coral was using 'sorry ass' instead of tail, but the girl was the most humanized out of all Atlantican's, including Ariel herself. Like her Aunt before her, she soaked up stories that her human cousins told her like a sponge, secretly longing that she could be up on land with them.

The night was dark, not a star in the sky, yet Harmony was able to make out (somewhat) her cousin's shape. "It's…idiot…child…to you…young…lady." Harmony wheezed out, wishing she had her inhaler with her. Coral couldn't help it, she grinned at her cousin, as she brushed away her brown hair that was plastered from the water to her forehead. Her purple tail brushed the sand, up and down it went, hoping to get into the water soon as she shook her head at her cousin.

"Thanks for saving my life, Coral." The girl mimicked a conversation between her and her cousin, talking into the air for more of a melodrama feel to it. "Oh hey Harmony, it was no problem."

"What are you doing...out of…Atlantica?" Harmony wheezed out, getting more control over her body now as she let out a breath as looked up at her cousin. Coral shrugged, her had playing with her new belly button ring without even noticing it.

"Told ya I was hiding from my family this week. They think I'm just in a bad mood and sulking. Crap, if they ever found out about this ring…." Coral gave an actual shudder, knowing for sure that her mother would rip it out with her nails if that's what it took. Attina—like all of Coral's Aunts (and Uncles, and Father, and Grandparents) had made it clear to all the children that if they ever did something behind their backs, their would be hell to pay. What they didn't know is that Coral had been defying their authority since she was four, and pushed her brother into a wall and then lied about it. "More importantly though, what are you doing out here?!" Coral's eyes narrowed, as Harmony's gaze dropped to the sand.

The girl didn't answer, instead keeping her gaze directed at the sand as she didn't know how to answer…and if she did she sure as hell wouldn't say it. Coral took Harmony's silence and nodded to it, before steering the conversation away and going back to another point. The girl had a lot to deal with her life, and if she didn't want to talk about it, Coral didn't want to push her. She hated it when her own mother did that to her anyhow.

"I've probably got to sneak back in before they send out search parties. See ya?" Coral ended it in a question, as Harmony nodded but didn't say anything for a moment. If this had been Emma she'd been talking to, the girl would have forced out an answer of what was troubling Harmony out of the poor girl, and then never mentioned it again unless Harmony did first. But this wasn't, it was Coral.

"Yeah. Tomorrow. Catfish Club—Next Generation. Usual time, k?" Harmony told her cousin as the girl nodded, knowing that Harmony must be uncomfortable. Without a word, she quickly hugged the girl (and also slapped Harmony on the forehead for her idiocy) and jumped back into the water.

Harmony, after a few minutes of resting, managed to walk back into the palace. She snuck around for a few moments, keeping her wheezing breaths silent as servants did last minute chores, and rushed about. Her sneaking around was abruptly cut off though by a hand suddenly over her shoulder, spinning her around.

"Sorry honey, you've been caught."

* * *

**Okay, so only one chapter tonight, but it's a long chapter so be nice when you review! THe song is 'What Hurts The Most' by Rascal Flatts. Sorry for not being very funny today, I'm not in a great mood. My idiot brother and I got into another one of our fights, and this time, the results of it weren't forget about tomorrow. And also, I was put on the Taxi Soccer team I found out today. WHat that means is that even though i'm on the team, I'm really not on it because I'll never be able to play because I suck. I've been playing soccer since I was four. THe girl's on the Taxi team don't even know what the word 'cleat' means. Aparently, working my ass of for the past two months means nothing when the coach just for some random reason--hates you. Fml. **

**ANyway, review and hopefully, I'll be in a better mood tomorrow. **

**P.s. If you want to listen to a really sad, and I mean SAD song, then listen to 'When She Loved Me'. It's the part of the movie in toy story two where the little girl who owns jessie slowly starts forgetting about her, and the doll is just collecting dust on the bottom of the bed until one day she's put in a box and sent to charity, because no one cares anymore. I can never look at that video and not cry! Also, if your a huge disney fan like me, The Toy Story Three movie trailer is up. And remember little Andy, with his red cowboy hat, his horse stick underneath him as he went on adventures with Woody? Well, in this movie, he's like going to college, and he's no longer a little boy, he's a *sniffle* adult! It's so sad! Watch it! **


	54. Which Path?

There were a few breathless minutes as the amusement faded from Harmony's parent's faces, and they stared at the soaking wet/sandy girl in shock. Harmony shivered as she felt her wet clothes stick to her body, making her skin crawl over in goose bumps. Looking helplessly and sheepishly up to her parents, she shivered more before it was her father who started to talk.

"Harmony, what on earth happened to you? Your soaking wet…and full of sand—_please_ don't tell me you were out in that storm, _**swimming**_." Eric asked, rubbing his temples with two fingers as he could already feel a migraine coming on. How is it that not more than five minutes with his daughter could just do that to him?

Ariel grabbed her daughter by the hand, pulling the girl closer to her, as she put Harmony's face in her hands, before inspecting to make sure she wasn't injured. Thank god she wasn't…this time at least. "Harmony Althea, you're colder than ice itself! You'll have pneumonia in an hour if you don't get warmed up soon—and I don't even want to think about you being out in that storm—your shivering! Oh come on, we'll talk once you get warmed up." Ariel stated her shock and motherly worry mixing into one as she started dragging her daughter by the arm to the large bathroom. With a glance back at Eric, he nodded, before moving silently away to check on Melody as Harmony was dragged away.

About an hour later, when Ariel finally deemed her daughter clean and warm enough to rejoin her family, Harmony was curled up in the library with a book. Her warm nightgown was on, as was her robe—though she'd argued it wasn't necessary, Ariel had given her the 'you're a young lady now' lecture which had made Harmony give in easily since she didn't want to hear any more of it. As though those two items of warm clothing weren't on though, Ariel had practically forced Harmony to have a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and sit next to the warm fire when she heard the girl sneeze.

Harmony sat the furthest away from her family though on the couch, not liking the whole 'lovey dovey' feelings that they had just radiating off of them. Her mother leaned against Eric on the couch, as Eric was lost within his thoughts as he stroked Ariel's hair and Ariel, who hummed softly, brushed out Melody's dark locks as the girl was sitting a little to the side of her mother on the floor. In truth, if this had been a Norman Rockwell painting, it would have looked like the perfect family—save for the one child who sat as far away as she could from her parents. Though Norman Rockwell could paint, he couldn't catch those thoughts of the family.

Harmony was lost within her book world, Ariel was sighing internally as she saw her daughter was sitting so far from the rest of her family, Melody was reading a romantic novel about a boy who falls head over heels for a princess, though he doesn't know she's a princess, and Eric's mind was still reeling about what Harmony had said about de Kiln earlier.

Without warning, the book Harmony was reading was suddenly hurled across the room, hitting the back wall with a thump and sliding down to the floor. Harmony stared at it with pure rage, as her family all turned their heads to face her, shock and question in their faces.

"Oh boo hoo, poor Clary." Harmony said with bitterness filling her voice. "So you suddenly realize you're not a normal teenager, you're a shadow hunter who has to kill demons. You don't have to cry like a freakin baby about it." Harmony growled, fuming angrily as she stared at the book with hatred. So your life isn't what it seems to be, big deal, you don't have to take up an entire chapter explaining how 'awful it was to not be normal' and how 'everyone hated you'.

"Harmony?" Ariel's soft voice asked, a hint of fear in it as Harmony's head snapped in the direction of her mother. The girl's anger suddenly melted into one of sadness, but only for a moment before Harmony quickly hid that feeling and made her face as blank as a knew sheet of paper.

"Never mind." Harmony said quickly, though her throat closed up as she knew the waterworks were trying to break through that invisible barrier that she put up to hold them back. Sighing heavily for a moment, she forced one of those 'I really hate the present you gave me, but I'm going to pretend I like it to be nice' smiles onto her face as she let some mischief fill her eyes. "So am I like, not going to get in trouble for telling that asshole off today? 'Cuz if I'm not then I'm out of here. Actually, either way if you ground me or not I'm out of here." Harmony said, her brows raised as she let a smirk fill her face. While Melody was in pure shock and her blue eyes were wide at what her twin had just said, Ariel and Eric only sighed and shared a look with each other, before Ariel reached out and placed a gentle hand on Harmony's shoulder. The girl shook it off.

"Sweetheart, I wish you would just talk to us. It's not good if you hold all of your feelings in. You know your family loves you and will try to understand." Ariel's gentle voice pleaded, sighing heavily as Harmony shot her mother a look of disdain and pure hatred.

"Talk." Harmony snorted, laughing bitterly. "Talking is for people who are too weak to use force. Fighting solves things, not talking." Harmony said with a note of hardness in her voice, as both her parents sighed. Ariel gently took Harmony's arm, pushing back the sleeve as she let her gentle fingers fall across the scars.

"Fighting doesn't solve a thing Harmony, but talking does. Talk to me my darling. Please, I know you do." Ariel's voice was soft, gentle as she looked at Harmony's scars with a sense of sadness and remembrance. She'd once felt the world was falling down on her, and no one could understand that sort of pain.

"What do you want me to talk about?" Harmony finally asked, hardness still in her voice, but a note of uncertainty in it too, which surprised her family who hadn't expected that.

"Anything you want. Tell us a story about growing up with your brother, or what's troubling you. Harmony, we're here to help you." Eric's voice said his blue eyes reasonable and gentle to his red headed daughter. Though he'd had his differences about the girl, she still was his daughter.

Harmony's eyes traveled past the worried faces of her family, as she stared at the book on the far side of the room. What could it hurt, to talk a little, her mind asked. Though, another part of her mind told her to not let out a word; they wouldn't understand anyway. Which one should she go with, the girl asked herself, biting her lip in an effort to figure it out. Closing her eyes, and giving a heavy sigh, she finally chose one path.

* * *

**Sorry I haven't posted up in awhile (three days to be exact; yes, it affects me too when I know I haven't posted anything for you to read!) but at night I've just been so tired! Plus with only one computer in my house that works right now, I'm having to share it with the whole family, namely my idiotic brother who never wants to give it up when it's time to let me use it. **

**Anywayzzz...possibly next chapter (or the chapter after that) Harmony will go to Atlantica and she'll be forced to talk to Athena. How will she react? WIll she be mad, or just plain sad? Ah, the questions time in, child. SOrry, I like talking like Yoda. Did you know that Yoda is my lover? Yes, I know you've heard rumors that I've dated Kermit the frog, Gonzo, Elmo, Big BIrd, Scooby Doo, --not in that spesific order--and now I"m dating Yoda. For a tiny little green alien, he can be very angry when you don't give him the things he wants. Like, his darth vader toy. **

**REVIW!**


	55. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Life

"No. I'm not going to turn this into one of those 'family moments'. So what if my life is screwed up? I'm dealing with it, and that's all there is to it. I don't need my family to '_help_' me." Harmony sneered at the word help, her blue eyes flashing as she got up from the couch in a rage.

"Sweetheart, please, just _talk_." Ariel pleaded, but her words were lost on Harmony. The blanket fell of the girl's shoulders with a soft thump to the floor, as the nightgown sleeves fell back down, covering Harmony's arms once again. Hiding her from her past.

"Make. Me." Harmony said with anger seething in her voice, before stomping out of the library, and away from her family. It was nearly eleven at night now; Ariel and Eric must have been ready to send Harmony and Melody up to bed. But what did Harmony care about bedtimes? It's not like she was six.

The girl pushed the door open to her room, as she let it slam against the wall. Why she was angry, she had no clue. Maybe it was left over anger from when her mother had that brilliant idea to have her tutored the week before. Maybe it was anger that she was suspended from school. Maybe…she was just angry that she couldn't do anything right.

Shaking those thoughts from her mind, Harmony looked for one moment at her French doors that led to her balcony. The curtain had already been drawn around them, yet the girl easily pushed passed it so that it was like she was hiding in the curtain, but staring at the outside. Had she really been out there, not an hour before? Was she really that idiotic—nah, she just had a sense of adventure…that always ended up in another painful memory she tried to force down into the darkest places in her mind.

"It's way past your curfew Harmony. You should be sleeping." A soft voice called into Harmony's room. The girl stiffened, as she tried to let the long curtain hide her, though she knew it was impossible. Of course the drape had to end just at her ankles. Still, the girl made no movements as she held her breathe, staring out at that storm from her French windows, watching as the rain pelted the glass and the thunder cracked in the sky.

"Sweetheart?" Ariel's soft voice asked, unsurely. She knew her daughter was in her room somewhere, she just knew it…but where was an entirely different story. Letting her eyes search the room, worry creased between Ariel's brows as she couldn't find any form of her daughter within the dark room. Her eyes wandered across the girl's balcony curtains, that were closed off already…before stopping and relief filling them.

Two feet were slightly illuminated on the bottom of the heavy, expensive material that hung down from the rod and covered the window. There was a sort of lump in the curtain though, even in the dark Ariel could make it out. Taking a few, unsure steps forward; she regarded the curtain with caution. She didn't want to be the result of Harmony's anger.

Pulling back the curtain, Ariel found her daughter staring at the storm, as though she was in some sort of trance like state. Her face was nearly millimeters from the glass, as her blue eyes didn't even blink as rain pelted at the door. Harmony's face was completely blank, no emotion showing on it whatsoever. Her lips were smacked together, as though there was some invisible force holding them there as she was lost in thought.

"What are you doing?" Ariel's soft voice questioned, pushing the curtain far away from her daughter so she could see her daughter's full figure. The girl said nothing for a moment, staring at the torrential rain.

"He never said goodbye, did you know that?" Harmony's soft voice asked suddenly, catching Ariel off guard as she'd been expecting a sarcastic comment to escape the girl's lips. "After every mud fight, after every time he kicked me out of his tree house because girls weren't allowed in, after every time he gave that look that no one could imitate, he never said goodbye." Harmony's voice was whisper soft, as her fingers traced the rain drops outline, though she was inside and they were outside. Turning around, she forced a smile onto her face. "But I guess that doesn't matter now. What's done is done, right?" Harmony said with a forced smile, but her eyes betrayed her. They held this amount of pain that would be staggering to look at.

"I'm sorry honey." Ariel said gently, slipping her warm motherly arms around Harmony. The girl, like always, made no move to hug her mother back. "I know you don't like talking, my darling little Harmony….but please, for once, forget about your worries and your strife, and just talk to me. Please sweetie?" Ariel asked in a hopeful voice. Maybe if she got Harmony to start talking, she'd figure out more about the girl and start to be able to fit the pieces of the 4,000 piece puzzle together.

"I'm not going to talk. I'm fine Mom, really, I'm fine." Why Harmony repeated the phrase 'I'm fine' twice, the girl had no clue. Perhaps it was to sure herself that she was 'fine'. Or maybe it was to convince her mother that she was capable of still feeling such a thing. Though, in both instances she failed miserably. An epic fail, as Ryan would have called—no, don't think about him, Harmony's mind scolded.

"Alright honey. I'll take your word for it." Ariel said with a heavy sigh, her weariness not showing through just yet. In about ten minutes she was going to crash faster than a child who'd just drank a Red Bull. "It's late, you should have been asleep a long time ago." Ariel said gently, in an admonishing voice as she cupped Harmony's face in her hands. Though it was hard to distinguish much of the girl's features in the darkness of the room, Ariel could roughly make out Harmony's head bandage and her still terrible looking black eye—not to mention all the bruises she had all over her arms.

"I'm really not that tired. Can't I just stay up and read?" Harmony wondered, noticing how a yawn escaped her. She was grateful for the subject change, since now she wouldn't have to lie her way through any more conversations, and then remember her lies so she didn't mess up next time.

"Not in this lifetime my little tune." Ariel said in a loving voice, a small gentle laugh at the end as her quick fingers had Harmony's robe off of her in seconds. Leading the girl to her bed, Ariel tucked the girl in so tightly that it took the breathe out of Harmony! She wasn't going to go anywhere tonight, the girl noticed with disdain, though her disdain was her mother's amusement.

"Goodnight sweetheart." Ariel gently murmured, kissing Harmony's cheek in a motherly fashion. So maybe her daughter refuses to talk about her life, and maybe the girl really did have problems—but Ariel was her mother, and she'd just have to see her daughter through this.

"Mom?" Harmony asked drowsily, her eyes slowly becoming thick and heavy though she had no recollection of how. Ariel made a noise to signify that she was still there in the room with her daughter, and when Harmony heard that she smiled a little, before turning over in almost sleep. "I'm still not tired." And with that, Harmony was asleep.

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**Okili-Dokili, so lemme start a little contest! In this chapter, there is one line that is part of a Disney song. The song is from one of the old disney movies, and it's one of those songs that every time you hear it, you smile and remember singing it as a child. So, look for those lyrics people! **

**Review and tell me your answer, but, I won't count your answer unless you say at least one thing about this chapter. Haha, now I'm forcing you to reveiw! **

**So...i'm watching Legally Blonde #2, and I'm wondering...why would someone want to wear that much pink? I can wear pink at times....but ew, to wear THAT much?! Oh well, i guess some people just have obessions with their favorite colors! **

**REVIEW!**


	56. One Clap Can Start an Avalanche

Breakfast the next morning was like usual, predictable. Melody was already bubbling with excitement because she was going to Atlantica later, Ariel and Eric were talking to one another in low tones, but smiling every now and then as a tease could be heard. Only one member of the family wasn't actually talking. That member, would of course be Harmony.

The girl sat in her seat quietly, her head down on the table as she shut her eyes tightly, trying to get a few more seconds of sleep. She was drowning out the sounds of her family with her iPod playing random songs, since it was on shuffle. She had an old sweatshirt that had once belonged to…_him,_ on, the hood pulled up so that her parents didn't see that she was drowning out their voices. The sweatshirt had the sleeves rolled up quite a few times, but Harmony didn't really notice that as she chewed mechanically on her eggs.

Why, if she didn't have any school, did she still have to wake up early? Honestly, it was only Wednesday—she needed her rest for the yelling she was going to get from Ms. Ander-bitch-son for 'lack of preparation' once she returned to school. Some things would never make sense, the girl mused to herself silently.

Then, the girl's eyes flew open, as she felt someone touch her wrist lightly to try and wake her up. Sitting up quickly, the girl blinked off her drowsiness, as she saw her mother and father's mouths moving, but no sound besides 'She's a She-Wolf…' came out. Actually, it was pretty amusing to see her father's mouth move to the tune of Shakira's voice. So amusing, in fact, that Harmony started to laugh outright, as both her parents were startled by the outburst

"What's so funny Harmony?" Ariel asked, a bit defensively as the girl had doubled over in laughter. The girl didn't reply…actually, she didn't even look up as her head was bent down over her plate, the hood she had on shielding most of her face so that Ariel couldn't see it. Wait, _hood_. Of course!

"Eric, pull down her hood." Ariel's voice instructed, working on a hunch. Her husband gave her a strange look, but did as he was told, like an obedient child. And as Harmony's hood fell down, and the girl's ears tightened at the coolness that had just reached them, both parents frowned.

"Ahem." Eric cleared his throat with raised brows, as he extended his hand out, face up and inches from Harmony. The girl stared at her father's hand, not comprehending why he had just extended his hand towards her. Now, Harmony could have looked up and seen the waiting expression on both her parents faces…but she didn't. Instead, she gave her father's upturned hand a smack, like a high five. He wasn't amused. With one fluid motion, Eric tugged on one of Harmony's ear phones, so hard that it made the other one come out too.

"You're going to break my earphones!" Harmony's gasp of a voice said, annoyance and anger clearly showing through as she turned to face her parents. Both had arms crossed over themselves as they had their brows raised and lips taught against each other. "What?!" Harmony finally asked, exasperated.

"We were trying to talk to you." Ariel's voice said cooly, as Harmony rolled her eyes and popped the biscuit on her plate into her mouth.

"And I should care because…?" Harmony let that thought trail off sarcasm in every word to her mother and father. Melody slumped in her seat, hoping that this wouldn't end badly.

"Because you're a part of this family. And during meals, this family talks to each other." Eric reminded in a stern voice, to which Harmony gave him a sweet smile. Mischief was written all over her eyes though.

"Oh I'm sorry; I didn't know that talking at meals was _required_." Harmony said, sarcasm dripping voice her voice like venom from a snake. "Maybe you can write me a list of everything that's required in this family. Oh, and make sure that list includes, handing each other up for the wrong ideas, locking each other in jail—twice—and my personal favorite, kicking each other out in the middle of winter with nothing but an old stuffed animal and a nightgown on." Harmony's voice was bitter, sarcastic, as Melody shot her a look, pleading with her not to do this.

"I will not tolerate disobedience from you Harmony. Sit back down, _now_." Ariel's voice was icy, harsh…and it made Harmony's mouth twitch from anger. The girl hadn't even noticed she was standing until her mother had pointed it out. Hm, maybe she should start paying more attention to these kinds of things.

"Why don't _you_, make me _Mother_?" Harmony's breathe was hot against Ariel's face, as both of them were now standing, millimeter's from each other's faces. Melody shot her father a pleading glance to make it stop before things got really out of hand.

"Come on Ariel, Harmony. Just sit down and eat, let's not do this so early in the morning. Please love?" Eric begged, trying to pull Ariel into his arms so that she would break off her angry glare off with Harmony. The woman only pushed her husband away, as did Harmony to Melody who was trying to do the same thing.

"Why don't _you_ learn some manners, _Harmony_?" Ariel snapped right back, as both of the blue eyes from both daughter and mother grew murderous.

"Why don't _you_ shove it up your ass, _Mother_?" Harmony was treading into blood water now, not hot water. Melody and Eric both gave out startled gasps, as they both tried reasoning and pulling to get Harmony and Ariel away from each other.

Ariel's blue eyes grew wild with anger, as she clenched her teeth tightly. She's a child, her mind whispered. She's your daughter, and she needs to be shown that you're in charge, not her. With rage and fire in her eyes, Ariel lifted her hand up in the air, and watched as it sailed towards Harmony's cheek.

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**Ohmygod! Ariel, you said you'd never hit your child--what the hell! How could you! Anyway, besdies that, I think that Harmony should probably be left alone on mornings. I mean seriously, what teenager isn't in a horrible mood during breakfast? What's the big deal in letting Harmony just eat? It would save you alot of fights. **

**So...before I go onto contest news, I have to do disclaimers. OKay, so Shakira, I obviously don't own. I just love her music. And She-Wolf the song that she was singing on Harmony's ipod, I don't own either. So none of ya can sue (sp?) me now! Sucka'S!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Alright, contest news. THe contest is officially closed to everyone, sorry if your late, but it is. The official winner was *drumroll* **

**DAYDREAMER747! She? or maybe He? was the first person to review and say the song quote, which was from the disney movie 'The Jungle Book', from the song 'The Bare Neccessities' (Sp?). The actual quote was 'Forget about your worries and your strife'. **

** Daydreamer747 was the first one to review it, so even though all of you were correct, DayDreamer747 actually wins. And I'm not going to say 'id like to thank all who participated...' you know it's just one of those standard phrases for the losers. Sorry to be blunt and obvious, but I really do hate it when you don't win at something, and the people make it worse by putting out that 'were all winners today'. No, your not all winners, sorry, but it's the hard fact of life. You guys that didn't win didn't review fast enough, that's all there is too it. :) Does it make any of you feel better that I'm telling the truth, instead of some crappy lie?**

**Anyway, review this chapter! Alot happened, and I want a full report about how you liked it!**

**REVIEW!!**


	57. Being There While Backing Off

Ariel's hand stopped a millimeter from Harmony's cheek, shaking from anger. Everyone was holding their breath as they saw Ariel shaking with anger, her hand trembling millimeters from Harmony's face.

"Do it." Harmony's lips moved and sound came out, but she couldn't understand it. Her eyes were wet with tears as her breathing came out ragged, but she still stared down her mother. "Go ahead Mom, hit me." Harmony's voice was a whisper, her red rose lips barely moving. "In fact, when you hit me, use a 2 by 4 wood plank. They hurt more, and an added bonus, they don't leave bruises—unless you hit my face with it. Then it leaves a horrible bruise." Harmony's voice was so soft, as a lump formed in her throat.

"Grounded. Confined to your room. Go." Ariel's voice was so soft, so whispered that if Harmony hadn't been inches from her face, she'd have never heard it. Ariel's eyes were wide; her voice tightly controlled as she bit her lip, a silent message in her face to Harmony to run to her room.

Harmony nodded, turning backwards as she managed to stumble-run away. She didn't know when she reached her room, or how she was suddenly clutching her old teddy bear…she just saw the tears that filled her vision.

The moment Harmony was out of the dining room, Ariel collapsed against her husband. Not in tears, not in fear…she really just fainted. Somewhere in the distance she could hear her daughter and husband calling out her name…but everything was so blurry, so muddled…darkness befell her before she had a chance to actually sort through her thoughts.

When Ariel awoke, she found herself lying in bed with a cool compress pressed against her forehead. Eric was stroking her red hair in that loving way he always did—before Ariel quickly sat up in bed.

"You let me sleep in?" Were the first words out of Ariel's mouth. She still hadn't realized she was in her dress and not her nightgown, as the world groggily started to form before her eyes.

"Something like that my love. Did you sleep well?" Eric asked gently, leaning forward to tenderly catch Ariel's lips within his own. Though the kiss only lasted a few seconds, for those few seconds both people were floating on air.

"Not really…I kept having this awful nightmare that I hit Harmony after she said…well, something horrible to me." Ariel said, pushing Eric away for a moment, though her lips and mind protested bitterly. Maybe Eric could help rid her of that awful nightmare, she reminded her mind. That's when she noticed she was wearing a day dress….but she was still in bed? "Eric…why am I dressed? Did something—ohmygod." Ariel whispered, as realization suddenly hit her. "It wasn't a nightmare. I hit Harmony…oh Eric, I hit my little girl! After all she's been through, after all I've put her through—I was angry yes, but why did I hit her?! Eric!" Ariel's voice wailed, her eyes tearing up at just the thought of it, making Eric grimace. Crap, he hated it when Ariel was sad!

"You didn't hit her love!" Eric said quickly, maybe too quickly. Ariel looked up with pain and skepticism written in her eyes, as Eric sighed and took a different approach. "I mean, my love, that she was out of line with what she said. I did talk to her about it, and she—" Eric tried to take a slower, more thought out approach to talking to his wife, before she interrupted him.

"_You_ talked to her?!" Ariel's voice raised an octave in shock, as Eric managed a small smile to his wife. After fifteen years of marriage, didn't she know by now that he always had a plan, and that he could handle (somewhat) teenage girls?

"Don't be so shocked Ariel. Harmony can be reasonable…when bribed with the right amount, that is." Eric said with a sly smile, before becoming serious again. "She's a fourteen year old girl who watched the boy she grew up with stab himself. Right now my love…she's just…at a fragile stage. Anything we do is either going to send her in tears, or have her release some of that fury she gets from you—oh don't be so surprised, we both know that's true. We just…have to try and be her parents…as best we can…for now." Eric said, letting out a breathe as each of his words were full of reason, and understanding. There was even some…respect for the girl in his voice, which surprised Ariel completely.

"And you actually got her to tell you all of this?" Ariel asked in an unbelievable voice of surprise. Harmony never wanted to talk—unless it was after another horrible malfunction in Ariel's parenting and the girl had to listen to forgive.

"No." Eric said truthfully. Seeing his wife's mouth open in reply, he quickly jumped back in. "She doesn't have to tell me what I don't already know, my love." Eric said softly, his eyes, though still focused on Ariel, far away in their own land of dreams.

"But how?" Ariel asked incredulously, shaking her red head as she didn't understand how her husband had managed to get a fourteen year old bipolar girl to talk.

"Ariel, I lost both my parents in one night, when I was sixteen. Harmony watched her brother stab himself and die, and her adopted parents didn't care about whatever she did. I remember feeling lost…and if my pain is anything like I think Harmony's is, then she is too. My darling, we just have to…let Harmony sink or swim, and let her know that either way; we'll be there for her. You do understand what I'm trying to say, right?" Eric asked in a hopeful voice, as Ariel gave a heavy sigh in return, directing her gaze to her twiddling fingers.

"Unfortunately, I do. We have to be there for her, but at the same time give her space." Ariel said with another heavy sigh, as Eric gave her a half hearted smile, pushing a tendril of her red hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Why don't you go to Atlantica and see your mother darling? It's been twenty some years—I'm sure you have things to catch up on." Eric faltered on his smile, only a moment, but it was enough for Ariel to understand why. He wished it had been his own mother Harmony had brought back, not hers.

"You know if I could, I would've had her bring your mother back in a heartbeat, right Eric?" Ariel asked in a soft voice, as Eric gave her a tiny pained smile, knowing, unfortunately, that she would have.

"Yes my love, I know you would have." Eric said, giving Ariel's hand a small squeeze as both adults looked at each other, lumps in their throats. Being married fo so long, their thoughts were often in the same direction, and they usually had no trouble voicing them to one another. But for once, there was one thought they weren't saying aloud what as it passed through their minds.

No matter what they tried with Harmony, it was going to fail miserably.

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**Well, at least she didn't hit her. But she was close, really close. So, this week starts homecoming week for my school....yeah, I'm so excited I could dance. I'm not much of a cheer person, if you haven't noticed by now. **

**Anyway, next chapter Harmony goes to Atlantica....I wonder how that will end when she sees Athena...uh oh! If you want the next chapter, you'll have to review though! **

**xJadeRainx...is it reallly so hard to post?! Please, i'm dying here! I need to know what happens! THough, I shouldn't really be talking, since I didn't really review your last chapter...hm, well it's my computer curfew so looks like i'll be doing it from my phone! **

**See you guys in hell--I mean, in heaven, where I shall totally go when i--*bursts out laughing* yeah, like I'm going to go to heaven. With all the cursing I do, It'll be mirracle if i get into HELL! **

**Anyway, REVIEW!**


	58. You Just Got the Birdie Mommy Dearest

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"Where's Harmony?" Andrina's voice questioned her youngest sister, in an almost teasing tone as she smiled at Ariel who rolled her eyes at her sister. Letting her blue eyes sweep over the royal merchildren—who had separated into different groups spread around the room to do homework.

"Groun—er beached." Ariel quickly corrected herself, using the Atlantican term for grounded.

"For what?" Athena's voice questioned, a little unsure of itself at talking about her teenage granddaughter. Ariel had forgiven Athena, because she understood that it'd been a shock to her mother to find out that 'Momma's Baby' had grown up. The same wasn't for Harmony, who was known for being able to hold a grudge.

"Swimming in that storm last night." Ariel sighed, running her fingers through her red hair as she give a little white lie. "She keeps pushing her limits with Eric and I, every day. I don't know what to do with her anymore." Ariel sighed heavily, looking at Melody and Coral who had formed a group of two together to do homework.

"Ariel—" whatever Attina had been about to say was suddenly cut off by two voices that was strangely…familiar. All heads snapped up as they saw a red head with piercing blue eyes before them, and a blonde silently next to her.

"You could lock me in jail again—oh wait, you tried that, and it didn't work. Shucks." Harmony said with sarcasm dripping down her voice. All the children's heads snapped up as they heard this, some of them not understanding…and some understanding all too well. "Or I heard kicking fourteen year old girl's out in the middle of winter with absolutely nothing is a common punishment nowadays. You might want to try it sometime Mom—oh wait, shucks, you did that too, and," Here Harmony snapped her fingers and her arm went across her chest in one of those 'all for nothing' motions. "It didn't work either 'cause I came right back. Hey, maybe you could try hitting me! Now doesn't that sound like a great solution?" Harmony asked with a sweet smile, before it was gone, lost in her bitter features. Emma tugged on her shoulder to tell her to quit it, but Harmony was to hurt…to mad to care.

"I thought I said you were grounded." Ariel said quietly, and all the merchildren's eyes went wide, and they stifled gasps—well, at least the younger ones that didn't know what Harmony was talking about. How was she talking so…meanly to her own mother, and why wasn't Ariel telling her that she was going to get in trouble?!

"And I thought I wished for parents that were actually sober enough not to hit me—or almost hit me." Harmony said, snapping her fingers as if she was doing a 'all is lost' motion again. "Guess I should have added ones that didn't cause me so much pain too. Oh well, can't change a wish once you said it." Harmony said, fake cheer in her voice, though somehow the bitterness still showed through.

"Harmony, your mother tells me you're a wonderful singer." Athena's soft voice broke through the tense silence, as the girl scowled a moment to herself, before her features smoothed out.

"Liar." Harmony muttered under her breathe, before looking up. Her blue eyes were full of pain, but only for a moment before she smoothed out her features so that she was, once again, that cool calm collected teen that could never be bothered.

"I'm leavin'. Cor, Mel, Em, you guys wanna come?" Harmony's voice wasn't a question; it was a pleading to come with her. All the girls knew where Harmony was going to go, but not one of them said it aloud as they quickly came up next to the girl. They were all silent as Ariel and Harmony had a stare down.

"Where are you going?" It was a simple question, yet it shook at the fabric of Harmony's very being as she narrowed her eyes and stared down her mother, no fear in her face.

"Up yours." Harmony stated with a sweet smile to her mother, as all the women's eyes went wide at her words…and her not so polite finger gesture to her mother. With a simple flick of her tail, and a few muttered words under her breath, all the girls disappeared from the room in a flurry of bubbles, swimming as fast as they could to their sanctuary.

"Where did Harmony go Mommy?" It was a small voice that asked the question, as Serene swam onto her mother's lap in her usual custom. Ariel wasn't even paying attention to the young child, as she rested her head against Attina's shoulder, her eyes shut tightly.

"Sweetie go play outside with Darwin, okay? I have to talk to your Aunt Ariel about…some grownup things." Andrina said to her young daughter, tucking a strand of the girl's crazy, out of control, thick, dirty blonde hair.

"But I don't want to! I want to play with Harmony!" Serene whined a full pout on her face as she let her brown eyes stare unfairly at her mother. Andrina was barely paying attention to Serene though, as she moved the little girl off her lap.

Realizing she'd been forgotten, Serene was about to let her eyes pool with tears so she could start to throw a tantrum. Turning her little head left to get the full effect of her tantrum in motion, the little girl noticed something. A flash of bright red hair, followed by a sky blue tail. Harmony!

Taking in a breath, and smiling, Serene swam after her cousin.

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**Watchin Casper Meets Wendy..it's so cute how Hilary Duff is so young! **

**REVIEW AND XJADERAINX PLEASSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE UPDATE YOUR STOORY!!!!!!!!!**


	59. Big Girl's and Darwin Can Keep a Secret

By the time Serene's little tail managed to catch up to Harmony, Emma, Melody, and Coral, she was huffing, puffing, and panting. All 30 pounds of her were exhausted from having to swim past Atlantica, through the kelp forest (where she almost lost Darwin to a giant kelp that didn't want to let him go!), past a lot of underground stuff (Darwin got scared, but since she was a big girl, Serene didn't), and then finally she saw her cousins, and Emma, swim into a cave like place.

"I bet their doing teenager stuff in there Darwin." Serene whispered her young voice in awe at the word teenager. All four of the girls were about fourteen all together—practically ancient. Holding her closest confidant to her chest as her arms crossed around him, Serene squeezed Darwin tightly against her so he wasn't so scared. Because, as you read above, Serene is a big girl, and she never gets scared. "Should we go in there Darwin? Or should we go back to Mommy?" Serene let her little nose scrunch up at the thought of going back to her Mommy and being put down for a nap. Big girls _definitely_ did not take naps.

Serene stared her stuffed sea horse a minute, before nodding her head in understanding. "Okay, we'll go in. But you got to stay close to me Darwin, because you're afraid, and since I'm not, I have to hold you." Serene stated, clutching the sea horse to her chest even tighter than before.

Letting her little lavender tail propel her forward, Serene peaked inside of the underground 'cave' as she thought it was. Actually…it was a room, she saw, her brown eyes going wide. A room with instruments! Huh! And a _piano_! She always wanted to play the piano back at the palace, but her Mommy told her not to 'cuz she was afraid Serene would break it somehow, but what she didn't know is that Serene was a big girl, and big girls didn't break _anything_. Except rules, that is.

"…Mom is going to kill you! Damn and I thought getting a belly button ring was bad if I'd done that, my mom would have murdered me!" Coral said, taking her hand off of her belly button to show her ring. Serene's eyes went wide and mischievous, as she saw her older cousin had a belly button ring. Ooh, she was going to get it when they got home!

"Oh please, she totally had it coming." Emma said airily, defending her sister. "Besides, it gave us a chance to escape that prison they called a room. God, all of you were so quiet, so calm…ugh, it was annoying me." Emma stated, waving her hand to show her point.

"Well, we were trying to do homework." Melody defended, as Harmony shot her a skeptical look. Serene quietly watched all her cousins—and Emma—talk, her brown eyes alight with new knowledge as she mentally scratched all this down on a list. Say hello blackmail—well, not to Harmony because Harmony was nice to her—but blackmail to Coral and Melody!

"Ew, who'd actually want to do homework. That's so…ugh, freaking stupid. Mind if I light?" Harmony asked, snapping her fingers and letting a cigarette appear in her hand. Emma shrugged—she knew Harmony wasn't going to stop smoking if she told her not to. Coral shrugged to in a laid back way, not caring if Harmony smoked under water (she _was_ a witch), or not. Only Melody seemed to actually not like the idea, but only her face said her disapproval, not her voice.

Harmony took a long swig off of her cigarette, letting herself blow out the excess smoke through her mouth, away from the rest of the girls as to not give them second hand smoke. Serene watched with fascination from her hiding spot, as she held Darwin up to see as well. She'd never seen someone…_light_ before!

"So, like, Friday's the day, right?" Emma put out there for conversation, as Serene put her ear to the wall as she strained to hear the quieter voices of her cousins—and Emma—discuss something about 'Catfish Club—The Next Generation'. What were they talking about? What was—

All of a suddenly, Serene lost her precarious balance from leaning against the rock, and fell into the room with a SMACK! On the floor. If she'd been back in Atlantica, she'd have teared up and blamed it on Ash. Since she wasn't though, she just quickly sat up and dusted herself off—though it was really more for show because she'd seen Coral do the same thing a hundred times and couldn't for the life of her figure out _why_.

"Serene-y!" Coral's voice was the first to say, shocked and surprised. Quickly, she put a hand over her belly button, as she strained her neck over to Harmony, watching for a second as the girl snapped her fingers and made the cigarette disappear.

"Serene, what are you doing here! Did you follow us?! Serene, how could you?! You can't tell anyone about this place, do you understand?! Anyone!" Melody's frantic voice said, talking a mile a minute as Serene let her head fall to the side in confusion.

Putting Darwin's mouth to her ear, she let him whisper what he wanted to say as she nodded thoughtfully. "Darwin wants' to know why I—er—_he_ can't tell anyone about this place. And I want to know—I mean, _Darwin _wants' to also know what will happen if I—er—he does." Serene said, translating for her sea horse, because she was the only one who could understand his language. He taught her how to speak it.

"Munchkin, tell Darwin that this is a…_secret_ place, full of secret things that us teenagers do. And we want it to be a secret, because if it wasn't a secret then all the grown-ups would come and take it away from us, and that's no fun. Also, if Darwin tells anyone about this place…Darwin won't get to talk to me ever again." Harmony said, sticking her head up as she followed along with her cousins game. Melody and Coral looked at her like if she'd gone nuts; only Emma, who had a three year old brother, understood what Harmony was aiming for.

"I'll tell him." Serene said, nodding her young head up and down. Turning her stuffed sea horse to face her, she spoke in his language out loud to him. Darwin's language consisted of a lot of sounds, some really high, some very low. Each pitch and the way you moved your mouth to it was a word. When Serene finished translating, she put Darwin's mouth to her ear as she nodded thoughtfully at his words.

"Darwin says he promises he won't tell anyone about anything." Serene said, before pausing a minute, her brows furrowing. "But Harmony, I have a question." Serene asked, her big brown eyes curious for an answer. Harmony smiled at the girl a lazy smile, and nodded for her to go on.

"Since _Darwin_ isn't going to tell anyone about this secret place and the secret things you do here…can _I_ have a lollipop so _I_ don't tell?"

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**Isn't Serene adorable? More to come! Thanks to xJadeRainx again for letting me use Serene and Darwin. Yes, I don't own them. I'm only renting them. :P **

**Beverly Hills...that's where I want to be...sorry, that song and SHE-WOLF is stuck in my head! **

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	60. Talking? No Thanks

"Serene! There you are!" Attina's relieved voice reached Harmony's ears first, as she almost winced at how much déjà vu that brought back to her. Oh so many times she'd heard that sentence…so many times…"Your Mommy was very worried."

The little mergirl looked up happily at her oldest Aunt, glowing as she took another lick from her new lollipop, and swam contently to her. Serene's lips were blue, from licking the giant lollipop, and her fingers were sticky from the candy too. But her brown eyes were shining as she let her Aunt hug her.

"Where did you get this?" Attina said disapprovingly, holding Serene aloft in her arms, as the girl pouted, an adorable pout that could melt anyone's cold stone hearts. Attina smiled at the little girl, who in turn licked the lollipop even more, and even held it up for Darwin so that he could lick.

"Sorry, giving her the lollipop was my fault." Harmony confessed, shooting a glance at her cousin who was happily licking the candy and paying no attention to anyone else—besides Darwin that is. "I promised her like a million years ago I'd get her one—and I finally came through."

Attina regarded her oldest niece for a moment, suspicion, mixed with pity, mixed with a touch of skepticism in her eyes. "Go find your mommy and tell her your alright, okay Serene?." Attina told the little girl, who was all too happy to comply. Squirming in her Aunt's arms as Attina smiled gently and kissed her forehead, Serene swam as fast as she could to her room, because she couldn't wait to tell her other stuffed animals about what she'd seen!

"Coral, can you help her find your Aunt Andrina? You know how she gets when she can't find Andri after awhile." Attina said, noticing immediately how the girl had her hand over her belly button. The first thought in her mind was that Coral was trying to hide up the fact that she was pregnant—but Attina quickly shooed those thoughts about her daughter away. The girl was probably trying to hide something she'd done, Attina mused. Well, maybe it could slide—for now. Coral had been in such an awful mood lately, that Attina didn't see the need to make the girl pissed.

Coral shrugged, in one of those 'I don't care' ways, but Attina needed to get Harmony alone, so she tried once more. "At least make sure Ash doesn't hurt her." Attina's calm voice said, as Coral sighed but nodded. Looking back at Harmony, Coral shot the girl a mischievous grin before swimming off in the direction of her room.

Two down, one more to go, Andrina said mentally, before focusing on Melody. "Melody, why don't you go with Coral? I'm not very…sure about leaving that girl alone." Andrina said with a conspirtal wink to Melody, who giggled and nodded, swimming after Coral.

Only Harmony was left now.

There was a silence between Aunt and niece, because neither of them wanted to talk, and neither of them wanted to be there right now. Attina's eyes were gentle, but Harmony's were directed on her fins.

"Where did your friend Emma go?" Attina's voice was in a conversational tone, because she really wanted to test out this experiment. Would Harmony actually talk to her Aunt, rather than mother about what was troubling her? Or would the girl shun any form of contact?

"Home." Harmony answered, not letting more than the answer come out of her mouth. There was no elaboration, no laughs…just nothing. Blank as a new sheet of paper was her face, as Attina tried once more to get a conversation started between her and the girl.

"Want to stay for dinner? I know Melody probably is, and Coral would love it if she had another girl close to her age to be around." Attina really was trying to get this conversation started, but by the way Harmony kept staring at her fins, it seemed it never would.

"Naw. I've got…stuff to do." Harmony said quietly, the 'stuff' referring to dealing with her mother and trying to get through dinner with her parents. Silent meal, here I come, Harmony thought to herself bitterly, as Attina tried one last time to get Harmony to talk to her.

"You know, sometimes it's better to talk to someone besides your parents about things. Anything you want to talk about?" Attina tried in a last ditch effort for her niece to comply. The girl said nothing for a moment, contemplating the situation, before sighing and shaking her head. Attina repressed a disappointed sigh. "Alright. But at least let me make sure you get back home."

"Yeah, sure." Harmony said with indifference, sighing as she started to swim back to the palace, Attina right on her fins, making sure the girl didn't do anything stupid or reckless.

It was an hour later, in her nightgown, and fresh from a warm bath, that Harmony sat in front of the fireplace, reading. Ariel was on the same couch as Harmony, though the woman seemed almost fearful of even looking at Harmony. Eric was still in the study, looking over some papers—or at least that's what he said he'd be doing when Ariel told him Harmony was in the library and she wanted to go see her daughter. Ariel thought he just wanted to force the mother and daughter to talk to each other.

"Darling…what happened this morning…I feel terrible for it." Ariel said softly, as Harmony pointedly put her book down and raised her blue eyes up to Ariel. She stared down her mother for a few moments, before sighing and taking her glasses off.

"Can we get through this without an entire 'talk' like usual?" Harmony asked softly, startling her mother who didn't understand right away what her daughter was talking about.

"What?" Ariel questioned, her blue eyes taking in Harmony…but the girl was so quiet, so smooth…her face was as blank as a new sheet of paper. Letting her eyes wander over the girl, Ariel bit her lip as she realized how much of an adult her daughter was acting like.

"Every time you apologize, I end up crying and having false hopes. Can we just…skip through that part? I know, you're sorry, I forgive you. There, this discussion is over." Harmony said, breaking off any form of contact with her mother by just that one little sentence.

"Honey…" Ariel was at a loss of words. What could she do, force Harmony to tell her what was wrong? Torture the girl into talking? What could she possibly do that wouldn't just make the girl laugh outright?

"I'm going to my room." Harmony said abruptly, setting her book down gently before running off to her room. Leaving a muddled and confused Ariel behind in the library, Harmony rummaged through her book bag before she found a cigarette. Grabbing an old, washed a million times jacket from her drawer, Harmony quickly pulled it around her figure as she stepped outside into the cold night weather.

The girl wanted to calm down, and just smoke…she didn't care about the black lung. She didn't care about her braincells slowly dying. She didn't care that her brain shut off once she took a swig of that cigarette. She just didn't care anymore.

The dark night hid her tears and smoke.

* * *

**Originally, I had planned this chapter with a song, but in the end I thought it didn't fit so I pulled it. I'm going to use it during the climax though! **

**So...REVIEW! I know alot of you are on computers, and I also know it takes less than ten seconds to say 'good chapter'. Any constructive cristicism is always welcome, and I don't mind if you say how awesome I am either. In fact, you can go on about my awesomeness all day and I won't mind a bit. **

**So...RIVIEW OR ELSE ZOMBIES WILL EAT YOU!!!!!!!**


	61. A Stroll Down Guitar and Memory Lane

"Urgh! This place is so annoying to clean up!" Coral groaned, as Emma rolled her eyes along with Harmony. Melody was trying to dust a corner that had grown quite dusty over the years—fearfully to be exact. Both princesses had never had to clean up anything more than their toys that had lain scattered in their room before.

"Oh please." Emma snorted, grapping the duster from Melody and pushing the girl away from the corner. Melody was all to grateful to comply. "Haven't you guys ever had to do chores like this before?" Emma inquired, a smirk in her voice as she already knew the answer.

"Never." Melody looked pale at just the _thought_ of having to clean and do chores like normal children. "That's what servants are for you know." She stated, sitting on the piano bench as she watched her cousin, friend (Yes _friend_. Melody had discovered Emma wasn't so bad, once you got to know her.) and sister clean.

"Wow you're spoiled." Harmony said with a snort, looking at Emma a moment before returning back to tuning the strings on an old guitar she'd found in this place. "Back in Nebraska, my chores included; laundry, cleaning the house, doing dishes, feeding that stupid bird my brother got and never played with, _and_ getting good grades so I wasn't hit." Harmony said with a roll of her eyes. It was quiet in the room all of a sudden, as Emma sighed and dropped the duster she was holding, and Coral turned to face her cousin, as well as Melody.

"I overheard our Aunts talking…did your adopted parents…really hit you? I mean…a lot?" Coral asked, biting her lip in an unsure fashion. Both Emma and Harmony sighed, before stealing grim looks to one another.

"Yeah. They did." Harmony's tone ended the conversation from going any further than that. The girl bent her head low, focusing on tuning the new strings she'd put on the old Atlantican acoustic guitar. It was about the same size as the one she had back in her room at the palace (she kept it hidden under her bed…it reminded her too much of those jam sessions with Ryan playing weird tunes on the keyboard, and Kathy playing his old guitar (taping her musical ability so he could feel superior) and laughing as he tried to sing) but somehow, someway, the strings didn't fit as well as they should have. Getting frustrated as one of them popped out of place again, Harmony all but through the damn thing at the wall. That's when she had an idea.

"No, if this is going to be The Catfish Club—Next Generation, than there can't be an acoustic guitar. Electric is more like it." Harmony said out loud triumphantly. Only one girl in the room actually understood that she hadn't gone mental, and she was talking about something completely…cool.

"What's a…_electric_ guitar?" Melody slowly questioned for her and Coral. Harmony just shook her red head, and smiled at them all. A big, happy smile…that was fake. Memories of Ryan were swarming into her head—the both of them saving up their allowances for months to buy him a new electric guitar because he had dreams of being a rockstar. Ryan playing that damn guitar at 1 in the afternoon, during summer vacation when she was trying to sleep.

"I'll show you." Harmony said, closing her eyes to block out the memories for a moment, before opening them again. Softly, she felt words form at her lips, but she didn't understand clearly what she was saying…until she felt a cold plastic handle in her hand. Swallowing the lump in her throat, the girl set the case one the ground…flipped both the locks expertly…and then saw it.

The guitar had been her brother's most prized possession, mostly because it'd taken so long to save up for it. The guitar was a orange color—mostly in the middle, with a red outline. The neck of the guitar was black, with white dots showing up on it like stars in the night sky. This was a Les Paul guitar.

There was a silence in the room as no one dared breathe, two girls staring in awe at the guitar like thing Harmony held in her hands…and one girl stared at the guitar, then back at her best friend to see if she was going to cry.

Taking the plain black strap and pulling it across her neck, Harmony quickly strapped her guitar to the strap, making sure the thing wouldn't fall, break…and then leave Harmony in more pain than she was in now. Holding the thing brought back so many memories…so many…

"How does that—guitar?—work?" Coral asked, after clearing her throat and regaining herself. Indeed, it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. It was a glossy guitar, with a shape that she wasn't familiar with, and a color she'd never known could be put on the instrument.

"Like this." Harmony said softly, her voice no louder than a whisper. Flipping a switch on the guitar, she knew immediately that it was amplified. Then, letting her fingers touch the strings, she closed her eyes…and let the music and memories surround her.

How long Harmony spent lost within her memory, she'd never know. She found herself back at her home in Nebraska, sitting the armrest of a couch in the living room as she watched her brother play. He wasn't very good at playing the guitar, but he thought that he could one day be a rockstar…and Kathy didn't have the heart to tell him that he sucked.

"Cool, isn't it?" Ryan's anxious voice asked, looking at his sister with warm brown eyes that were shining at the thought of being so good at the guitar. Kathy heard herself smirking at him as she crossed her arms over her never growing chest. School would be starting back up in a few days, the girl new sullenly. She'd have to start high school soon, and Ryan to be a junior…but for right now, she didn't want to have to think of that as she talked easily to her brother.

"Play eruption, by Van Halen and _then_ you'll be cool." Kathy said with a giggle to the sour look she got from her brother. His fingers crookedly grasped the neck of the guitar, as he tried to let his stubby fingers play the famous guitar solo.

"I can't. Do you know how fast those triplets go?! It's like dun-na-nun-nan-dun-na-nun-nan times, like, ten!" Ryan's voice stated a ring of superiority to it as he knew his sister probably had no idea what he was talking about. But Kathy did know, she knew more about music than her brother did…she just didn't like to show off.

"Eddie Van Halen can do it." Kathy pointed out, giggling as she was shot another sour look by her brother. Still, the boy had guts as he tried to play out the solo again…and just confusing the notes up in his mind and not being able to do it.

"Eddie Van Halen—"

* * *

**Uh oh, now what is Ryan going to say? PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!! Alot happened, so you may have to go back at read it again, just to make sure you caught it all. Go on, read it again. No, don't click 'exit'. READ IT AGAIN!**

**ALright, so I obviously don't own the song Eruption *though I wish I did!* Eddie Van Halen *I wish i had a millionaire rockstar husband* or Les Paul *the guitar or the old man*. The guitar in this story is the one my brother bought a long time ago, and he actually went with his class to go see Les Paul live. The man is like 90, and he still plays the guitar! how funny is that?! ANyway, my brother got that guitar signed. It's now in a bullet proof glass case that only opens with a special key my brother has. Once he saw I stol his key, and was holding his Les Paul....let's just say I got a huge bruise on my arm after that. He he, but my brother got a cat scratch on his arm so who's the loser now?! **

**REVIEW!!!!!! XJADERAINX UPDATE!!!!!!!!  
REIVEWE!!!!!!!!!!**


	62. Math Giving a Migraine Better Than Tears

WHAM! Harmony was suddenly brought back into the present by three voices, basically shouting at her to come back down to earth. Shaking her head, the girl stopped playing, as she quickly set the guitar back into its case, before shutting the case up tightly. No, it wasn't just the case she was shutting up tightly, the girl realized. It was her memories.

"Harmony? Are you alright?! You weren't talking back to us…and you just kept playing…" Melody's worried voice trailed off, as Coral nodded in agreement. Only Emma didn't say a word, knowing her friend would start to talk and cry when she felt ready.

"Yeah. Fine. I just got…caught up in that music I guess." Well, that was half true, Harmony pointed out to her conscious, who pointed back that yeah, it was _half_ true. It wasn't all the way true.

"That sounds…cool." Coral lied, hoping she didn't upset her cousin too much. Harmony seemed lost within herself right now…Coral was hoping that she didn't do anything to make the girl even more depressed. "So that's an electric guitar, huh? I like it, a lot. It's really nice. Can I, like…use it? The sound is so…different…but at the same time…better. I love it!" Coral raved, a smile on her lips. Harmony looked up at her cousin with a bland smile, though inside her mind was reeling at the thought of some other hands touching Ryan's prized guitar.

"Sure kid. Tomorrow night, the stage is all yours with the guitar." Harmony said, not meeting Coral's eyes as she didn't know if she was lying or telling the girl the truth. She met Emma's eyes, and the girl met hers. Emma's eyes basically said 'We can talk if you want'. With a little shake of her head, Harmony saw Emma nod once before joining in the conversation.

"Tomorrow night is going to rock!" Emma's voice said, excitement filling in for worry over her sister, Harmony. As the girl's raved about the next night, and how awesome it was going to be, Harmony managed to slip away from them.

She might have stayed because she knew Emma had to go home somehow…but the girl had been smart before hand, and had given Emma a special, magical kind of bracelet she'd made. It looked nothing more than a string bracelet, but it had the power to transport the girl home, and only home. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, Harmony kept swimming.

The girl didn't know where she was swimming; only that she _was_ swimming. Harmony pushed all thoughts out of her mind as she just focused on moving her tail, up down, up down, letting her fins get a workout in the process. The girl didn't stop swimming at a slow pace for about ten minutes, before she saw something that caught her interest.

It was that old, Ursula's cave that John had been afraid of. Harmony hadn't been in that cave since…well, since the day she figured out she accidently killed Alec. How long ago had that been? Three, four, five months? Had it really been that long ago that Harmony had been desperately trying to get back to Nebraska, but at the same time stay in the Kingdom?

Without a second thought, the girl flicked her tail towards the inside of the cave. It looked the same as she'd left it. Everything overgrown, things broken, smashed even. At the very end, was a hanging chair…that Harmony all but broke her neck swimming into it. The chair, or little cave thingy that she was using as a chair, was excellent for right now. Dark, but not too dark that she couldn't see. Deep enough so that her face was hidden, but she could still see the outside, and roomy enough of her to move around in.

Harmony made herself comfortable in the hanging chair thingy, before taking in a few calming breathes. When that failed to work, the girl resorted to chocolate, the only thing that could heal a broken heart. When that failed to work too, Harmony tried a variety of different things, while still in her little cave chair.

She tried to read through some of the more complicated spells of her spell book…but her mind kept drifting back to those hot summer nights when she and Ryan would sleep outdoors in a tent, 'camping' they'd called it. The girl tried to shut her eyes and block out her memories of her brother…but her mind betrayed her and showed her memories of him and her playing tag by the pumpkin patch by the preschool. Finally, the girl tried doing mental math problems…but that only gave her a headache, which was worse than memories of Ryan.

"Oh Ryan." Harmony whispered softly, letting her chin rest on her tail as she pulled her arms around the tail. With no one around for miles, and after every resort not to do this failed, Harmony finally gave up.

She started to cry.

* * *

**Poor Harmony. She can never shake off her old memories of Ryan...I wonder if that will have anything to do with the story in the future...hint hint, wink wink, cough, cough. **

**REVIEW!!! AND XJADERAINX PLEASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

REVIEW!


	63. Slowly Healing

"Is something wrong honey? You've barely eaten your dinner…." Ariel let her worried voice trail off, as she saw Harmony pushing the food around her plate, but not actually eating it. Ariel's brows furrowed in worry, as Melody kicked Harmony from under the table, a silent reminder that if she faked sick now, Ariel would keep her locked up tomorrow night.

"I'm just…thinkin'." Harmony said softly, barely noticing that her leg was once again kicked by Melody. Please, the girl kicked so soft that it was shameful. Harmony had spent years having under-the-table-battles with her brother, both of them kicking each other as hard as they could— the winner was the child who had the least bruises. So by now, she was quite used to being kicked….well, harder than Melody probably could.

"About…." Eric wondered, setting his fork down as his eyes traveled over to Harmony. The girl seemed lost within herself for a moment, as if she was thinking of something…good. But then her expression clouded over and she turned her head to look at her parents.

"Just the sleepover with Coral and Em tomorrow night." Harmony said easily, letting the lie fall into her sentence smoothly, as though it was true. Please, the girl _hated_ being a mermaid, so why would she actually want to sleep over? Not that she had anything against her finned family, it's just that she preferred two strong, sturdy legs that could keep her up instead of one tail that was only useful for swimming.

"Excited?" Ariel prodded, trying to get more of an answer from her daughter. The girl was going to be miles away from the ball the next night—a relatively good thing since there was going to be alcohol…and adults that weren't quite sober and had a few unspoken feelings about her…well, there were things Harmony didn't need to be around.

"Yeah!" It was Melody who answered bubbly with excitement as her mother turned to her, a wan smile shared between both Ariel and Eric as they looked over Melody. "We're going to have so much fun! I can't believe it's going to be all of us, oh my god we're going to…." Melody kept talking, and talking, foaming over like a champagne bottle with excitement about the next night.

Whilst this was going on, Harmony managed to slide out of her seat, and escape the presence of her parents and sister. Her feet lead her to the grand piano in the ball room—no, not _the_ grand piano, _her_ grand piano. No one else played it, so it had to be hers.

Sitting down on the bench, Harmony let her fingers mindlessly dance to an old waltz piece that she'd mindlessly memorized as a child. When she was younger, and no one was around, she used to take her brother's keyboard and practice out songs, feeling rebellious for touching something that her brother had specified as 'his'. Well, now she had her own piano…so why did she still yearn for that stupid little keyboard?

Why did she really just want to play that old thing that would never work properly because the batteries were constantly dead? Why did she want to pull a pair of ear phones out of her brother's room as he slept, and attach the cord to the keyboard so that no one heard the sound of her playing? Why did she want to keep looking over her shoulder, terrified and paranoid that someone would find her with the instrument and hit her?

"Not in the mood to sing?" A voice behind Harmony questioned gently, as the girl felt warm arms wrapping themselves around her protectively. She shook them off without a second glance, knowing who would do that.

"Eulogy's aren't my specialty, sorry." Harmony said bitterly, her fingers now playing a much darker tune, on the lower notes so it sounded menacing. Like her mood, the girl mused quietly.

"You barely ate any dinner." Ariel's soft voice noted, resting her chin above Harmony's red head as her eyes gazed languidly at the girl's fingers. They seemed to run on a magic of their own, the way the gracefully flew across the keys of the piano. They seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do, without even a command from Harmony.

"Wasn't that hungry." Harmony replied, letting herself settle into a angrier rendition of the theme song for the movie _Jaws_.

"Would these have anything to do with that?" Ariel's voice asked gently and softly, as Harmony sighed, banging her fingers against the piano before looking up to see what her mother was holding.

"You went snooping in my room?" Harmony's steely voice questioned, as Ariel stayed calm, making sure she wasn't getting angry, or backing down. Maybe if it was only for a few sentences, but she would get her daughter to tell her why she had a box filled with pills, and why the outside of the box said 'Anti-Depressants'.

"I wouldn't call it snooping, considering it was laying right on top of your nightstand." Ariel said calmly, as she was answered with a cool gaze. "I don't want to fight Harmony, I really don't. But I'm your mother, and at some point in time you're going to have to acknowledge the fact that I do, indeed, exist, and I'm planning to exist for quite a few more years." Ariel's voice was calm, reasonable. Thank God she hadn't lost her temper yet, though it was flaring inside of her. "All I want to know is why you have this. I don't want to fight, and I don't want to hurt you. But, my baby, I need to know if something is wrong with you, and if I have to force the truth of how you feel out of you, I will." Ariel's voice was firm, because nothing stood in a mother's way. Ever.

Harmony sighed, a deep hurt sigh as she rubbed her temples with two fingers on each side, trying to release some of her migraine that hadn't gone away since she was at Ursula's cave. "The pills…they help me…cope with the pain…without hurting myself." Harmony choose each word carefully, her blue eyes looking up to her mother's with a mix of hope that Ariel would say something encouraging about her battle with the pain…and anger that Ariel would do something stupid.

"That sounds reasonable, my little tune." Ariel said softly, tucking a curl behind Harmony's ear. "But why wouldn't you at least…tell us, your father and me about these? We want you to be…to _feel_ alright, but we don't want you hiding things from us. Especially something so important. You understand, right?" Ariel asked in a half hopeful voice that Harmony wouldn't just snatch the pills and storm off. The girl didn't.

Instead, she nodded, a slow, coming to an understanding nod. Maybe…maybe things had sucked before…but maybe if her parents knew about the battle she was fighting against her pain…maybe they'd be more understanding…and she'd have one of those iconic 'Leave it to Beaver' families.

"Good, I'm glad you do." Ariel said, not bothering to hide the relief in her tone. Things had gone from bad to worse, to terrible, to oh-my-god-your-a-horrible-parent…but maybe now things could start to slowly heal. "I'm going to hold onto these, alright? I'll give you the required amount every day…but no more than that. I don't want you…" Ariel couldn't even finish the sentence as she was afraid to even think it.

"O.D—er—overdose?" Harmony supplied, as her mother gave her a bland smile, before kissing her forehead in a loving way. Wrapping her arms a bit more tightly around the girl again, Ariel closed her eyes as she buried her face into Harmony's red hair. Maybe, just maybe, now they could finally be a family.

"Exactly sweetheart." Ariel finally answered, her eyes still closed and her voice muffled by Harmony's red hair. "Go on up to bed, alright? I'll be up in a little bit to tuck you in." Ariel murmured, as she felt Harmony's head nod, for once not fighting the fact that she was tired.

"Yeah. Okay." Harmony answered, stifling a sigh. If this turned into one of those 'family' scenes, she swore….

"Oh and Harmony?" Ariel's soft voice called, as Harmony turned around on her heel, her dress swishing at her legs. Just to placate her parents, she'd changed into a dress after being in Atlantica for so long.

"Yeah?" The girl prodded, wanting a answer. She waited a few moments, not liking that soft smile on Ariel's face.

"I love you honey." Ariel's voice was soft, loving as only a mother could be. Maybe…just maybe things could be good now, things could finally be patched up.

"Whatever." Harmony stated, turning back on her heel and walking towards her room.

Was Ariel actually expecting her to say 'I love you back'?

* * *

**OKay, so I didn't post last night, but I had a good reason. With only one computer in use in my house, everyone wants to use it. My mom, my dad, my wierd brother. and then little me. So, in conclusion, it's not my fault, it's my brother's. It's always his fault, never mine. **

**Alright, so it's a long chapter, with alot of stuff in it. Memories of Ryan, Family being all patched up...or is it? Will something happen in the near future to Harmony....that will ruin her famly.....**

**REVIEW! I know it's hard, and I know you don't like to, but if you don't, I won't write. OKay, so i'm bluffing, but I really do like reading your reviews. ANd if your reviews suck...well then I just...no, I can't really do anything if your reviews suck, but can you make them not suck? **

**OKILI DOKILI SO I"M HOME FROM SCHOOL TODAY SO...REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	64. Hoping is Overrated

"Eric? You're in here…right?" Ariel's voice questioned, biting her lip in hopefulness that her husband would be in the study. Eric looked up from the papers he had on the desk, his blue eyes filled with amusement as he saw Ariel's shadow by the doorway.

"I'm here my love. Are you here to save me from all this work?" Eric said with a laugh, as Ariel quickly moved into the room, her steps graceful as she came up beside Eric, her eyes focused on her hands so that her husband didn't see her eyes and know that something was bothering her.

"Let me help you with all of this Eric." Ariel said softly, reaching for one of the papers. Eric shoved them all to the corner of the desk, far from Ariel's reach as he let his blue eyes study her.

"Did something happen Ariel?" Eric's soft voice asked gently, his blue eyes wondering. Ariel shook her head, not willing to look up and see Eric's blue eyes. Eric sighed heavily, before standing up and heading towards one of the couches in the study so that Ariel could sit with him.

"What's wrong Ariel?" Eric's voice questioned, as Ariel still said nothing, keeping her gaze focused on the ground. But she brought her hand up to show Eric what was inside of it.

"Pills?" Eric questioned, his brows furrowing as he took the tube out of Ariel's grasp and read the outside lable. A lot of the words didn't make much sense to him, like 'Walgreen's' or what the prescription name actually was…but he did catch the words 'Anti Depprants' and he caught a name on the bottom, that made him stop and re-read it again. "Katherine Johnson…where have I heard that name?" Eric muttered to himself, re-re-re-reading the name on the pill box. So familiar that name was…though he was sure he knew no one by it…

"Katherine Johnson, aka, Harmony Althea Benson, Princess of Shireland." Ariel said miserably, her chin resting in her hand as she stared at the little pill box. How had that happened? Her daughter taking Anti Depressant pills, what—how? If she was depressed why wouldn't she just talk about it?!

"Oh. Harmony, right." Eric said with a sigh, rubbing his temples with two fingers as he felt a migraine coming on. "How do you think she got her hands on these?" Eric wondered, holding up the pills to Ariel who sighed heavily.

"Probably with this." Ariel said, sliding out a thin, card like thing from her dress sleeve. Handing it to Eric, she saw how his brows raised high, looking at the thing with a mixture of shock and disaprovement.

Harmony's exact face was on the card thing, a wide smile on her face. The card stated that the date it had on it was her birthday, that she was eighteen years old, and her height. The word Nebraska was printed on the top of the card, along with the words under it 'Driver's License'. Or, aka, a fake I.D.

"If this says she's eighteen, than she'd be considered an adult…which means she'd be allowed into adult places…" A look of horror crossed over Eric as he thought of 'adult' places…and his fourteen year old daughter at them. "This is going straight in the trash—no, actually, I'm going to show it to her and see what she says, then it's going straight in the trash. My fourteen year old daughter isn't going to—"

"Eric, _please_. I trust my daughter enough to know that she hasn't done anything…_improper_." Ariel said, her voice not stopping Eric from panicking.

"Adult places mean not boys but men, and men mean—" Eric wouldn't stop panicking at the thought of men…his red headed fourteen year old daughter…well, if you're a father, with a teenager that has a fake I.D. that says she's eighteen, you fill in the blanks.

"Eric, do you remember after our…first night…_together_ how I was…er…um…I think it's called walking on air?" Ariel said quietly, her voice ending in a question because she wasn't too sure. With no one around, and the walls too thick to have anyone hear Ariel's words, neither of their faces blushed as Eric nodded, and a small smile of remembrance filled Ariel's lips.

"If Harmony had done anything…_improper_ Eric…trust me, everyone would have known about it by now." Ariel said quietly, as Eric still frowned, but seeing the reason in Ariel's words, he sighed and nodded. Inwardly, he still wasn't satisfied with his wife's answer though, as he promised himself later he'd have the privilege of throwing away Harmony's fake I.D. and then ground her for life. And as for dating, well, she wasn't going to even _think_ about it until _after_ she was married.

"So then what's bothering you Ariel?" Eric sighed, looking at the picture of a wide smiling Harmony, before setting the I.D. down on the table and leaning back on the couch.

Ariel fiddled with her fingers, before finally looking up. "I don't want her on Anti Depressants Eric. I don't want her depressed….and I don't want her in pain." Ariel said softly, tears filling her eyes. "I don't want to be the one who caused her the pain, I don't want to be a horrible mother, and I want her to be my daughter again, not just some hurt teenager." Ariel's voice was cracking as she let the tears fall freely from her eyes. "I don't want to have Harmony hate me; I don't want her to feel as though she can't talk to me about anything, I don't want to hate myself because of what I've done to her, I don't want her to cry, I don't want to cry…Eric, I don't want any of that anymore." Ariel carried on like a child, no, like Serene when she found Darwin beheaded—by none other than Ash.

"Shh, don't cry Ariel. Don't cry." Eric murmured into his wife's red hair, as she kept letting her tears fall down freely from her blue eyes. Stroking Ariel's red hair, he felt her crying against his shirt, staining it with her tears as her body shook from the sobs.

"Eric…" Ariel moaned, her face buried into Eric's white shirt.

"Love, stop crying. It's all right…Harmony is already starting to come around, you know that. Shh, everything is already starting to get better; things will and are getting better. Don't hate yourself love, it's alright...It'll be alright." Eric murmured, stroking Ariel's hair in a wasted effort to still get her to calm down.

"I hope so Eric…I hope so..." Ariel whispered, before once again burying her face in Eric's shirt. She hoped to God it would one day get better…she really did. But, like Harmony had said before,

Hoping was overrated.

* * *

**The following name 'Benson' and 'Shireland' in the way their used in this story is owned by xJadeRainx, supreme governess of the universe. **

**BLEH! That taste's like sulfuric acid on my tongue! **

**Well,** **it's taken me FOREVER to write this chapter because I'm watching t.v. at the same time as writing, which is extremely difficult!** **So...did you know that if you drink Anti Freeze, you can DIE?! I know, it's so** **weird!** **But at least now I know how to kill you all if you don't review--I mean, talk nicely to you about reviewing...hehe..hehe...**


	65. Preparing For The Big Night

The following morning was, as usual on the days balls were going to be at the palace, crazy. Decorations had to be put up, food had to be checked to make sure it was all there, wine glasses all had to be counted and cleaned properly, different wines had to be taken out and set up in the ball room—it was hectic alright.

Harmony somehow managed to pull her sister out of her lessons with a *ahem* note by their mother requesting that Melody be excused from her lessons—since Ariel was a Queen she didn't need to supply a reason…and good thing too because Harmony couldn't think of one that sounded like something Ariel would say. Emma just ditched school along with Coral—it was so much easier to ditch class when you went to school, and you weren't tutored. And with all four girls out of class, and all their parents too far away to know what they were doing, they all swam to the Catfish Club—The Next Generation.

"I'm so psyched for tonight! Think there'll be any cute boys?!" Melody was literally jumping up and down with excitement, as she didn't even notice that while she was sitting down, everyone else was still making last minute adjustments.

"Only one way to find out coz!" Coral giggled, before returning back to straightening the guitar strap on her. Harmony was letting her use the electric guitar—which to a mergirl who didn't even know what _electric_ meant, was a HUGE thing.

"Do your parents still think your having a sleepover on the beach with us Cor?" Emma wondered, brushing her fingers through her blonde hair. Emma looked up a moment at Coral, before her gaze flickered to Harmony, who was leaning intently over the piano. She didn't want anyone to see her tears, Emma realized with a sigh, before looking back up to Coral as though nothing had happened.

"Of course they do. Their so stupid, I mean really, who would believe a _teenager_?" Coral asked, rolling her eyes as Melody giggled, and Emma forced a smile on her face, though her gaze flickered to her best friend who had stopped leaning over the piano was turning around. Her stuffed nose was the only sign that she'd been crying.

"Careful with the guitar Cor. If you break it, I'll kick you so hard you'll fly into next week." Harmony stated, coming up beside her cousin who nodded and giggled at Harmony's joke. Little did she know Harmony was serious. If Coral broke Ryan's guitar, she'd murder the girl.

"Okay, so I flip this switch and then play, right?" Coral asked her cousin, who nodded, and stood back as she flipped the switch on the guitar. Imediately the cackling sound of an amp could be heard, as Coral's eyes widened. Not with fear, but with mischievous. Letting her hand slide over the neck of the guitar, she let her fingers touch the steel strings…and began to play.

She didn't play one of those slow ballads, or one of those Jazz songs. She didn't play the Blues or Pop. She didn't play Hip-Hop or Death Metal. She didn't play a Classical song or Rap. No, she played the one language in music that was made for the electric guitar. Rock 'n' Roll.

Coral's fingers were flying over the strings, and she was lost in a new world. Something which she'd never seen before. The guitar had some sort of power over her that made a sound come out—a sound that was so different than what she'd been raised on. Her mother had been all but devastated when she learned Coral couldn't sing—she was the only girl in the family who couldn't sing a note, no matter how much forced practice. But she could sing now, the girl realized. The electric guitar was her gift of song.

"Woo-hoo!" Coral laughed, flipping her hair back as she did one last long note on the electric guitar. Why she just did that, she had no clue, but she knew that she'd at long last discovered her musical talent.

"Nice job kid. You'll rock the stage tonight." Harmony said with a smile, trying hard to swallow the lump in her throat. She loved her cousin and all…but that guitar just had so many memories of Ryan in it. Seeing Coral play it, so much better than he ever had…well, it just brought it all back, as Harmony carefully tried to repress them all.

"Ahem, you mean, _we'll_ rock the stage tonight." Melody corrected, smiling at her sister who grinned from cheek to cheek, her one dimple—curtsey of Eric—showing.

"It's almost dinner time." Emma's voice broke through the air with a smile, and a look of fear, mixed with anticipation. All the girls nodded, as they knew what would happen now. Now, they would go back home, tell their parents about their sleepover plans, eat dinner…and then come to the Catfish Club—The Next Generation for a night of pure fun.

"Meet back here at exactly seven, okay? Em, you're eating dinner with us, right?" Harmony asked her friend, who nodded, a bit her lip at the dreaded dinner with Harmony's parents. Emma might have befriended Melody…but Ice Queen and her husband were a different story.

"We're all in this together, right girls?" It was Melody surprisingly who said it, spitting on her dainty soft hand that had never worked a day in its life. Putting her hand to the middle, her eyes were scared—but also…strong. As though she was sure they could do it.

"Right." Three voices chimed, spitting on their hands and putting it in the middle. Looking around each girl nodded once, with hearts beating faster than humming birds could fly—or sharks could swim.


	66. Chisle Some Ice Off Your Heart Ice Queen

"So…_Emma _dear…" Ariel's voice trailed off purposely, as Emma stiffened in the seat she was in as her face paled deeply. Harmony and Melody too stiffened in their chairs, knowing for a fact their mother was never so 'motherly' as using dear. And the fact Ariel's perfectly manicured nails tapped against the table.

"Yea—er, yes?" Emma almost said 'yeah', the usual way she'd answer an adult, when Harmony elbowed her in the ribs answer using correct grammar. Ariel and Eric were looking for just one mistake, just one, to forbid Harmony from ever seeing her friend again.

"What kind of grades do you are you getting in school, _Emma_?" Eric's voice was polite, but only barely keeping out the harshness in it. Him and Ariel had only consented to Emma being present at dinner because they knew it would placate Harmony. Other than that, they really couldn't stand Emma being there. If only she and Melody had that close sister to sister relationship…but they didn't, and guess who was standing in the way of that?

"Dad, don't you think that's a bit _personal_?" Melody questioned, her voice cutting in and almost pleading for her father not to do anything to ruin the fragile bridge that Emma and her and Harmony had built.

"No, it's not too personal. Please Emma, enlighten us. What kind of grades do you get?" Ariel's bittersweet voice made Emma sick, just listening to it. How that ice Queen could be her bff's mother, she'd never understand.

"A's and—oof!" Emma was suddenly cut off by the fact that she could no longer speak. Only air had come out of her mouth when she tried to say 'B's'. Harmony was silent beside Emma, but her lips weren't making anymore sound. Sneaking a look at Harmony, she saw her best friends face was completely innocent…too innocent.

"And?" Eric prodded, as Harmony's eyes narrowed at her father, their iciness not melting at the look Ariel gave her that could have burned holes into her head.

"And if you don't stop giving my_ guest_ the third degree—well, I'm a witch. You fill in the blanks." Harmony hissed angrily. Why Ariel and Eric hated her best friend, she had no clue. Emma had certainly never told them anything wrong, she'd always been polite…and yet, they seemed to hate her.

"Fine, we just won't talk about things that are too personal." Ariel hissed back, before taking a look at Emma. The girl was sitting uneasily next to Harmony, across the table from Melody whose blue eyes were unreadable. "Here _honey_, drink your _suicide pills_." Emma was expecting a forked tongue to come out of Barbie Ice Queen's mouth,

Ariel handed one pill to Harmony, who quickly and silently deposited into her mouth and swallowed, without the usage of water. That skill could be traced back to long road trips, with no rest stops for another 67 miles, and a rear that was hurting like hell from sitting down so long.

"Happy pills?" Emma guessed quietly finally finding her voice one again. She ignored the 'suicide pills' remark from Ariel though she hadn't known that her best friend and sister took pills…but it wasn't like it was something that wasn't totally unpredictable. Honestly, the girl witnessed her brother kill himself!

"Anti depressants." Harmony corrected quietly to her best friend, who made a nose in approval before being quiet once again. Ariel frowned, realizing that Emma wasn't running off at the sound of 'suicide pills'. Damn, now how was she going to get Harmony and Emma to stop their friendship?

As it turns out, Emma couldn't handle the silence as well as she thought she could. With a few more minutes of just complete silence, she finally cracked, hating this. At her home, when she had one of her friends over, her family ate like it was no big deal. They laughed, they poked fun at Emma…it was a completely fine thing for her to have guests over and to have fun. But that wasn't the case here.

"Okay, you know what? I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry guys, but your parents are freaking _fucked up_. Obviously they don't like me, and I really hate eating here if they're just going to try to pull us apart." Emma finally stated, her fork slamming down on her plate. Harmony and Melody said nothing, but exchanged meaningful glances. They both knew it was true.

"What did you say I was?" Ariel's clear, deadly calm voice asked Emma, her blue eyes flashing. Emma merely just turned to Ariel, her nose wrinkling up as if she she'd something disgusting. Her tanned face, with a truly amazing amount of freckles just randomly splattered across her nose, studied Ariel's heart shaped face with hate.

"I said you were fucked up. Why, gotta problem with that,_ Ice_ Queen?" Emma hissed, not realizing she was standing up next to Harmony now. Actually…the entire family was standing up. Harmony with a blank expression, Melody with a pleading one for this to stop, Eric with a clearly angered expression at a teenager saying something awful about his wife…and Ariel with one of those 'you're going to die' expressions.

"Why don't you cool off with some _ice_, for that _burn_ I'm going to inflict on you if you don't leave the palace _immediately_?" Ariel's deadly voice hissed menacingly, as she stared accusingly at Emma.

"Good idea. Why don't you chisel some off your heart, _Ice_ Queen?" Emma hissed right back. The girl was suddenly pushed out of the way as Eric and Ariel made a lunge for her throat, both at the same time. Cursing under her breathe, Harmony shot a glance at her twin to signify that this meal was over, and that it was time for them to go to Atlantica.

Harmony grabbed Emma's hand and muttered a few words under her breathe, in her head cursing her parents for not being able to act like adults. Damn, and she was so hoping this meal would actually go accordingly too. Shaking off those thoughts from her head, Harmony realized that it had been ten seconds exactly since Ariel and Eric had made a lunge for Emma, and had missed. Now they were coming back for round two. Shit. Closing her eyes, and muttering the words a little louder, Harmony reopened her eyes to find…

That she was a mermaid.

* * *

**Okayy....so wow. Ariel, your a bitch. ERic, nice job defending your wife, ass. I'll be back to type in awhile, with one computer in the house, and one big sixteen year old spoiled baby...well, you fill in the blanks. I'll talk more in the next chapter! CHOW FOR NOW!**

**REVIEW!**


	67. Don't Cut Lemons If You Have A Paper Cut

"I'm sorry Kat." It was Emma's voice that broke the tentative silence between the girls, as they swam towards the club. Emma's purple tail—with bright yellow shells, just to be un-normal—easily followed her sister's tail, completely oblivious to the fact that being a mermaid was awesome.

"For what? My parents are asses, they deserved it." Harmony said with a shrug, keeping her blue eyes forward and focused onto the faraway club the girls had created. Sighing, Harmony blinked back frustrated tears as she tried to keep her thoughts straight.

"Not that." Emma said, pausing then thoughtfully. "I'm sorry because I know how much you wanted your parents to like me. I know, I know, this sounds just like a boyfriend-meeting-the-parents-talk, but just hear me out a sec. Your mom and dad...it was hate at first sight Kat, and we all tried to hide it…but you see what happens when we do." Emma sighed, offering her arm to Harmony who linked her through, silently. The girl's thoughts were a jumble…sorting them all out to make a sentence would be tricky.

"It's not your fault. You can't help your feelings…neither can they. I'll just have deal with being in the middle of it all." Harmony said with a weak smile to her sister, but Emma was not to be fooled. The blonde girl sighed, un-linking her arm from Harmony's as she sat down on a rock, arms crossed over her chest and eyes staring at Harmony with an 'I won't go, and you can't make me' kind of look. Sighing, the red head sat next to her friend on the giant boulder.

"Can't we just forget about this Em? Please?" Harmony's voice asked, the pleading almost unbearable for Emma to hear. Her best friend was growing up too fast, the girl realized. She was fourteen and acted like a forty year old.

"Not in a million—no actually, INFINITY years. Talk or I will, can, and shall, murder your sorry ass—or is it tail now that we're mermaids? Whatever, you know what I mean…so start talking!" Emma's voice was a mix between a joke, and all seriousness. Only Emma, Harmony mused to herself, before sighing again. She'd have to tell Emma this now, or the girl wouldn't quit bugging her for weeks.

"What am I going to do Em? My grades are awful, my parents, the ones who I grew up thinking 'this is my mom, this is my dad' refuse to have anything to do with me—and worse yet, I can't trust my real-non-adopted parents because of everything they've done to me. And the worst thing about all of this; I don't understand why _me_? Why did I have to come back to this world, why did I disappear, why can't I seem to fit in anywhere—in high school or in a family—and why can't I seem to stop cutting or smoking?" Harmony spat all that out in a rush of words, as tears fell down her cheeks. She'd once read in her book that most tears didn't come from sadness, they came from frustration. Well, _that_ made sense now.

"Kat…I know this is going to sound all psycho doctor-y, but just listen." Emma pleaded, before taking in a breath and continuing on. "Remember that quote, 'When life gives you lemons, throw them back and say you wanted Taylor Lautner?' Well, in your case, you can't throw them back because, no offense, but you suck at throwing with a cast on your arm. So now you're stuck with a bunch of sour, ugly lemons, that sting like _hell _when you try to cut them in half, and you have a random paper cut on your finger. What do you do then? Stop cutting the lemons in half you dimwit! Stop trying to be two different people Kat, a princess and a teenager because obviously, if it hurts, why would you try it again—though, Susie put her hand on the stove when it was hot yesterday because she wanted to see what a burn felt like, while aka, she burned her hand by doing_ exactly_ that two years before. But besides the fact my sister is a complete idiot, what I'm trying to say is that the more you try to spilt yourself, the more it's going to hurt—and take it from experience, trying to spilt yourself down the middle _hurts_—don't ask. Do you understand what I'm saying, or are you still kind of confused?" Emma's voice was again, like a joke, but also seriousness in it. She looked at Harmony, who couldn't resist a small smile on her lips at her best friend's explanation.

"I think I do—kind of. Thanks Em." Harmony said sincerely, feeling as though some invisible weight had been lifted off her chest. It felt good to know that at least one person was always up to help her with her problems, without being too serious, and being blunt enough for Harmony to sort of understand it.

"Anytime sis." Emma said with a smile, squeezing Harmony's hand with just enough pressure to show that no matter what, she was here for her best friend. "It's gotta be close to the time we should be at the club. Wanna go now, or do you want me to drag you by your hair unwillingly?" Emma wondered her voice and face completely serious to Harmony's skeptical expression.

"As much fun as being dragged by my hair sounds…I think I'd rather go with the leaving with you—willingly—one. C'mon." Harmony said with a grin, standing up. Emma grinned back at her sister, her brown eyes dancing with mischievous entertainment as stood up next to her sister.

"Let's do this!" Emma shouted, before breaking out into a very odd, and very, very, awkward moving dance. Harmony only laughed before joining in with her sister, pretending to do the robot.

"Your such a freak!" Harmony laughed to her best friend, who only laughed and continued on with her strange dance to the invisible music of the song 'Shake It'.

"I get it from hanging around you!" Emma laughed back, before gasping as Harmony gave a laugh and tried to lunge at the girl. Emma quickly swam off as fast as her fins could carry her, with Harmony right behind her—and for once, Harmony felt an emotion in her that she hadn't felt for a long, long, long time.

Pure happiness and freedom to be herself.

* * *

**The character of Emma is loosely based on all my friends, in case your wondering. **

**OKay, so in this chapter I tried to include some of how a normal teenager at age fourteen (well, at least the kids I go to school with) would talk. I didn't want this to be a heart to heart between Emma and Harmony because I don't know...it just doesn't seem right, for the both of them to have to sit down and talk about their feelings like adults, when in reality their only fourteen (though Harmony is very, very, VERY mature for her age) **

**I know you guys want more than one chapter a night from me, and trust me, if I could, I would post up to like ten chapters a night. Unfortunately though, as you remember, my 'EW, GROSS' of a brother and me are forced to share one laptop with the rest of the family until Christmas comes around and we can finally get two different laptops--for the both of us. Thank god. I don't know If I can survive more of 'it's my turn to use the computer, no it's MY turn...if you want to fit in, fit in, and if you want to be you, be you--SHUTUP! That song wasn't funny the first time, and it's not funny now, You shutup, No you, No you, Wait I have a better solution to figting, MOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Ah, my life. **

**Special Quote of the day: **

**"In, Out, In, Out, In, Out--" *tentatively rasies hand***

**"Um...Coach?" *coach gives me angry look* **

**"What, ^insert last name here^?!" **

**"Um...that's what she said." *silence before all of girls soccer team erupts into fit of laughter.* **


	68. It's a Revolutionary Change

The club, as it turns out, was completely full. Harmony, never one to show how she truly felt, looked at the stage from the wings where she was floating, her eyes filled with indifference though her heart soared. Looking out at the crowd, Harmony's blue eyes roamed through all the teenagers who had clustered into little groups and were talking to each other, all of their voices raised in nervous anticipation.

They'd all heard that this old club was to be re-opened today, secretly, and just a place for them to hang out, and have fun. Most of them thought it was some type of jinx on them, but some actually held onto that shred of hope that for once the rumors may be correct. Every teenager in the crowd was nervous, why exactly, they couldn't say. Perhaps it was because they'd snuck out after dark. Perhaps because they knew if caught they'd be dead within a moment. Or perhaps, perhaps they just felt nervous because they were hoping that they hadn't come all this way for nothing.

"You guys ready?" It was Harmony's calm voice who asked the question, as she looked once again at the crowd of teenagers and almost felt her heart leap out of her chest. This was better than they'd expected!

"I think so. But um…Harmony? I think we forgot one itsy, bitsy detail." Melody said, nervously fiddling with a loose strand of her pony tail that she always kept her black hair in.

"What detail?" Harmony wondered, confusion evident in her tone as she raised a calm and serene brow at her twin who was practically on the edge of a nervous breakdown. So little Miss Center of Attention was afraid of a crowd of teens her own age…the thought struck Harmony funny.

"We don't know any songs, or any notes, or anything! What are we going to do once we get out there?!" Melody would have shrieked this at her twin, had it not been for Harmony's quick thinking to mutter a few words and mute the girl's voice so no one in the audience heard.

"Ohmiposiedon, she's right!" Coral said, her green eyes becoming the size of saucers as her heart and stomach started doing double back handsprings (thanks to Harmony, she'd learned what that meant!).

"We're going to die out there! Why did I ever let you talk me into this?! Oh God, we'll never be able to show our faces in public again!" Melody said, a small sweat working it's way onto her forehead as she realized this to be the truth. While both her and Coral were freaking out, Harmony shot Emma a wary look, to which the girl grinned. Emma refused to sing or play anything, so for now, she was 'band manager'.

"Don't worry about that stuff. Just go out there, and do your thing. Coral, follow the beat that I'll have on the drum and then play some wicked tunes to it, and Mel, sing like you've never sang before." Harmony stated, and without a cliché band cheer, or one of those 'inspirational speeches', Harmony swam out onto the stage.

In a moment, the room went from tensions high and nervous…to unknowing and confused as Harmony sat down on the drum set. It was silent in the club now, all lights all Harmony as the girl took in a deep calming breathe…and began to pound out a beat on her drum.

Harmony didn't know when she started hearing an electric base line join in, or when she heard the notes pouring out of the guitar. The girl was only wrapped into a world of just herself…before she noticed that Melody still hadn't come out yet. This was no problem to Harmony, who in a flick of a wrist had Melody right on center stage, staring out at the crowd.

Melody stared at the crowd, and they stared at her. All of them heard the music, but not one of them heard a voice. With a pounding heart that was pounding out every beat in fear, Melody closed her eyes and started out with the song tentatively.

_Mhm, it's a sad picture, the final blow hits you  
Somebody else gets what you wanted again  
You know it's all the same, another time and place  
Repeating history and you're getting sick of it_

But I believe in whatever we do And I'd do anything to see it through

Melody's voice picked up strength here, as she finally opened her eyes and let loose the power of her song.

_  
Because these things will change! Can you feel it now?  
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down  
It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win_

We'll sing hallelujah!  
We'll sing hallelujah! Ohhh!

So we've been outnumbered, raided and now cornered  
It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair  
We're getting stronger now from things our parents never found  
They might be bigger, but we're faster and never scared

You can walk away and say we don't need this  
But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this

'Cause these things will change, can you feel it now?  
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down  
It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win

We'll sing hallelujah!  
We'll sing hallelujah! Oh

Tonight we stand and get off our knees  
To fight for what we worked for all these years  
And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives We stand up champions tonight!

It was the night things changed, can you see it now?  
These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down  
It's a revolution, throw your hands up, 'cause we never gave in

We'll sing hallelujah!  
We sang hallelujah!  
Hallelujah!

Melody finished her song, a huge smile over her face in triumph over what she'd just accomplished. A slow, tentative clap started, just like her song…before the entire room was clapping, a real, not polite, clap for her song. The girl's cheeks were pink with excitement, her eyes smiling along with the rest of her.

Harmony set her drumsticks on her snare drum neatly, making sure they didn't fall, before going forward to the front of the stage, next to her twin.

"Every week we're told to do the same thing, and every week we follow what our parents say like mindless zombies. But for the weekend, I want to let loose, have fun with my best friends, laugh and dance to songs that are totally different from what I'm used to. What sucks though, is the fact our parents would never let us just be free of everything—without them chaperoning us. So for tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday, I say just let loose. Have fun, be free, and for once, don't give a shit about what anyone says—because, who are they going to tell, your non-existent _parents_?" Harmony's voice wasn't completely strong like she knew her grandfather's voice would have been during a speech. This was partly due to the fact that she had no idea what she was doing. Her brain was acting on impulse, and she was scared to death someone was going to yell at her to get off the stage and would turn her in to her Aunts for being out so late.

No one said a word in the club, all teenagers heads thinking. Should they turn back and go home…or stay out, and have fun? Should they really not care, and just let loose? Should they?!

"I'm in!" A voice shouted from the middle of the crowd, as suddenly the silence was broken by a lot more shouts, most of them varying from 'me too!' or 'I'm totally staying' or, 'there can't be a party without me'. Every teen looked up at the stage at the three princesses, grins on most their faces as they all wanted one thing.

With a huge grin, Harmony shouted out "Hit it guys!"

* * *

**Okay, so song in this chapter is 'Change' by Taylor Swift. I'm really, really, really, exhausted, so I'll talk more in the next chapter. OH and tomorrow, I have a costume party from 8 to midnight, so I might not be able to post. Then again, I have the day off from school tomorrow--teacher work day. Report cards for the first quarter are coming in...yay, right? Anyway, Night, sleep tight, dream of bed bugs tonight!**


	69. Goodnight

Friday night passed in a blur to everyone, especially Harmony. The 'band' gained a new member from the crowd of Atlantican teens, his name was Stephen, and _damn_ could he play that old string base.

Harmony stayed where she was the most comfortable in rock music—on the drums all night, laughing as sweat ran down her face quite a few times from the many, many, many songs she played.

Melody gave up her singing spot a few times to people who wanted to try out their own voices—_most_ of them were great…but some, were worse than that guy who wore a chicken suit on American Idol auditions. Still, the ones who sucked big time had fun with it, dancing crazily to make up for their lack of a voice.

Coral played that guitar like she was made for it, and Emma, of course, after dancing in the middle of the dance floor for about three hours straight, flirted with some random cute Atlantican teenage boys that were at least four years older than she.

When it was about two in the morning, Harmony closed up the club and sent the teens home, mostly because she was exhausted and wanted to get to sleep. Now, most of the teens would have protested, had it not been for the fact they suddenly found themselves unable to protest because somehow, they'd all lost their voices. For once, Harmony had nothing to do with that.

"We did great." Melody yawned out, stretching out her arms as she lied down on the sleeping bag that was on loan to her from Emma. It wasn't her preferred method of sleeping, to be on a sleeping bag, and nearly a few inches from the ground, but Harmony had convinced the girls that if they all told their parents they were having sleepovers with each other, in different places, how would it look if they all went to one place, together?

"Yeah, I guess we did. I guess we did." Harmony whispered to herself the last sentence quietly, as she suddenly felt an odd silence in the Club. Her ears were still ringing from all the noise, and her throat raw from yelling so much on the drums, but she could still feel a sort of strange silence over the girls. Looking over both her shoulders, Harmony grinned when she saw that Emma, Coral, and Melody had all crashed on their sleeping bags, exhausted from the night out.

"Goodnight to you too guys." Harmony laughed softly, before settling back onto her sleeping bag and letting her eyes drift shut.


	70. Syco Pink Glitter Barbie Bitch

"How were the girls last night?" Attina inquired with a joking grin to her youngest sister, whose brow furrowed in confusion at the sentence. Did she mean what happened between Ariel and Emma…no, she'd be more serious if it was about that. So then…what was she talking about?

"Like you don't know. I hope they weren't too much trouble." Ariel said with a joking grin back to her oldest sister. Ariel had come down to Atlantica Saturday morning, to, what else, see her mother. Mother. After so many years, the word was still strange to her. But, she was taking a slight detour from seeing the woman, as she was sitting with her oldest sister, wanting to know how her daughters had been the night before.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Attina's grin froze in it's place, as her eyes were troubled and her brow furrowed. Too much trouble? Ariel would be the one to know that, since the girls had had a sleepover on the beach, so why was she asking her?

"What are _you_ talking about?" Ariel questioned her sister, the joking tone gone from her words as her tone hinted at alarm.

"The girls were having a sleepover on the beach, riiight?" Attina's voice slowly said with a bit of caution in it. A look of confusion settled over Ariel as she shook her red head, her locks moving a bit since she was in water.

"No, they were having a sleepover _here_, in the palace. They weren't on the beach at all!" Ariel said slowly, her heart starting to beat fast as realization started to sink in slowly.

"So let me get this straight. Melody and Harmony told _you_ they were having a sleepover here—" Attina's voice was slowly catching on to something, something big though she wasn't quite sure what it was at the moment.

"And Coral told _you_ that she was having a sleepover on the beach." Ariel finished, her red brows furrowing as her mind, and the mind of her oldest sister, started moving at lightning speed.

"Ariel…I think the girls pulled one over us." Attina finally said, shock and awe mixed with disapprovement and anger in her voice as she realized she'd been lied to. By her own daughter no less!

Ariel didn't get the chance to answer, for it was that moment that four teenage girls, giggling about something came swimming into the room, not noticing Attina and Ariel at first. Both sisters glowered at the group, their anger starting to fully set in as they saw their daughters in that group.

It was Melody who gasped first, seeing as how her mother looked furious and was in the room…with their Aunt Attina. Gulp. Coral, upon hearing Melody's gasp, turned and saw her mother there. With a pumping heart, Coral quickly hid her belly button ring. Thank goodness Attina was only staring angrily at her face. Harmony was the only one who saw her Aunt and Mother, who looked ready to kill, and showed no emotion but a grunt of 'oh, you're here?' And Emma, well, since Emma's mother wasn't there, the girl didn't give a damn as she crossed her arms over her shells.

"Where were you last night." It wasn't a question from Attina's lips, no, it was a statement that if disobeyed was punishable with two months of being beached. Coral and Melody hung their heads in shame, but refused to talk. Harmony just looked around the room she was in with indifference, shrugging off the question.

"Obviously, the three of you _lied_ to us about where you'd be last night, so I suggest you start talking otherwise all your priveleges are gone. Melody, you'll stay on land for the next two weeks, and Harmony—" Ariel faltered, her strong, angry voice stopping as she thought of Harmony. What could she punish the girl with that Harmony couldn't escape by using her powers? And Emma. She couldn't very well punish Emma since the girl didn't live in her kingdom, wasn't a merchild, and her mother was in another world…and yet, there was that sensation in Ariel that just wanted to reach out and snap the girl's smug neck right off her shoulders.

"Are you going to say that my punishment should be to leave home? Or are you going to one up yourself and say that I'm not allowed to visit my dead brother's grave?" Harmony's voice was soft, broken as tears were already pooling at her eyes, though she tried to keep them down. Ariel hadn't even said her punishment…and yet, she knew what would happen. The same thing that always did when she got in trouble. She'd be hurt.

"Harmony I never said that. I would never say that." Ariel's voice turned voice furious to soft and gentle. Reaching out an arm to her daughter, she noticed how Harmony flinched at the arm, before shaking her red head and swallowing what seemed to be a lump in her throat.

"But you did say to leave before. Don't try to kid yourself or me, we both know you were going to say that I wasn't allowed to see my dead brother's grave anymore." With that, Harmony summoned all the power she had so she didn't cry, and swam faster than lightning out of the room.

"Harmony!" Ariel called after her daughter, but it was no use. The girl was so fast that she was probably faraway by now. Sighing heavily, Ariel looked at her oldest sister with a pleading expression. "I have to go after her. Can you handle them for now?" Ariel knew the answer was yes, but she wanted to be sure as Attina nodded, knowing for sure that she was going to get the duty of punishing Melody and Coral.

"If you go after Kat, she _will_ hurt you, so you leave her alone." It was Emma's voice who broke the silence between her, Melody, and Coral. Since her parents were a world away, and phones weren't in this world, it's not like she was afraid of Ariel or Attina.

"You know, it's cute how you think I give a damn what you say. Harmony is my daughter, thank you very much, and I think I would know her just a _little_ bit better than her not even related 'sister'." Ariel's voice was steely, but no one gasped at it. They all knew the only thing keeping Ariel from hurting Emma was usually Harmony…but with the girl not here…well…

"Listen, syco pink-glitter ice Barbie Bitch," Emma started, but was cut off by a shocked gasp from Attina. No one ever spoke to a princess—much less a land Queen—in that tone! "I've known Kathy for thirteen years. You've known her for a year and nine months—in which you've managed to destroy any chance at her having a happy life. I think _I_ would know more about her than you, okay?" Emma's voice was just as steely as Ariel's, who in turn had to grind her teeth from literally grabbing a blunt object and throwing it at the girl's head. No one, no one, _**no one**_ called her a bitch—much less a syco pink-glitter ice Barbie (wasn't Barbie a type of doll in Nebraska?) bitch.

"Your nothing but a child, so don't even think you can disrespect my sister in that tone." Attina's voice stood up for her youngest sister, and like usual, Coral was silent. She was afraid to speak up and tell her mother how much of a bitch Aunt Ariel really could be to Emma.

"I'm not disrespecting her—I'm merely stating a fact." Emma said in a polite, sour tone that made both women in the room grind their teeth in an effort to not do anything they'd regret.

"Secondly, I know your family likes to 'talk about things' but you can't do that with Kat. She never learned how to 'talk about things' because her parents were always drunk, and she was afraid that if she talked to them she'd get beat. So she's not going to talk to you no matter what happens—unless of course _someone_ locks her in freaking _jail_, _then_ she'll talk. Just leave her alone, and maybe if you're lucky, she might actually, possibly, maybe open up to you." Emma stated with sincerity, knowing that to be the truth.

"And how would you, a fourteen year old girl, know all of this?!" Ariel demanded, her blue eyes flashing at Emma. The girl merely gave a smirk to the older women—who she just offended terribly for saying she was a decade older than she really was.

"Because, I'm her sister." And with that, Emma tugged on the bracelet Harmony had made for her, and high tailed the hell out of that room, and back into her own home, _far_ from a homicidal Ariel.

* * *

**Wow, alot of stuff in this chapter, huh? Emma, and Ariel, and Coral and Melody are such wimps...though, I've purposely made Coral like a wimp because...you'll see! **

**Anyway, review!!**

**ps. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! **

**pps. Since my dad kept saying 'oh we'll carve the pumpkin tomorrow' all week, I took matters into my own hands. I carved my very first pumpkin, all by myself. His name is Julian the Jack 'o' Lantern!**


	71. Athena and Harmony

Harmony found herself in the music room, in the Atlantican palace. A tear fell down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it off. Sure, maybe Ariel hadn't said she would prohibit Harmony from going to see her brother's grave…but Harmony wasn't an idiot. She knew Ariel would have said that sooner or later.

The girl closed her eyes a moment, breathing in and out as she tried to regain her steady breathing. Suddenly, the girl felt something in her hand. Opening one eye cautiously, she saw that it was a cigarette. When had she wished for a cigarette, she had no clue, but she was grateful for it. At least she could shave off a few minutes of her life with one.

Quickly using her fingers to light the smoke, the girl inhaled deeply as the nicotine calmed her jumpy system. She knew that she was getting addicted to these now—she couldn't spend a full day without smoking at least two—but they were just so calming! But not calming enough, her mind said softly.

Harmony sighed heavily, resting her cheek on her hand. So many questions rang through her mind, so many different questions….and the girl couldn't answer any of them. And she knew that she couldn't ask anyone these questions without them thinking she was suicidal. Sighing heavily once again, the girl sat on the piano bench…and let her fingers do their dance.

"_Catch your breath,  
Hit the wall,  
Scream out loud,  
As you start to crawl  
Back in your cage  
The only place  
Where they will  
Leave you alone.  
'Cause the weak will  
Seek the weaker til they've broken them.  
Could you get it back again?  
Would it be the same?  
Fulfillment to their lack of strength at your expense,  
Left you with no defense;  
They tore it down._

Locked inside  
The only place  
Where you feel sheltered,  
Where you feel safe.  
You lost yourself  
In your search to find  
Something else to hide behind.

The fearful always preyed upon your confidence.  
Did they see the consequence,  
when they pushed you around?  
The arrogant build kingdoms made of the different ones,  
Breaking them 'til they've become just another crown.

Refuse to feel anything at all,  
Refuse to slip,  
Refuse to fall.  
Can't be weak,  
Can't stand still,  
You watch your back 'cause no one will.  
You don't know why they had to go this far,  
Traded your worth for these scars,  
For your only company.  
And don't believe the lies  
That they have told to you. Not one word was true  
you're not alright, you're not alright, I'm not alright."

Harmony abruptly cut off playing the piano when she heard the door softly close, as though someone was closing it. The girl didn't bother turning around, knowing that it was probably her mother coming to apologize. Again. Sigh. Though Harmony didn't turn around, she did put out her cigarette out of habit.

"Leave me alone Mom. I don't give a damn if you're sorry or not." Harmony stated her voice bitter with a hard edge to it. The girl let her fingers dance on the piano keys again, trying to drown out the voice in her head that kept saying 'she didn't mean it, she didn't mean it'.

A gentle hand rested on Harmony's shoulder, but the girl still refused to turn around to acknowledge her mother. Her fingers danced to an old song that she'd fallen in love with as a child, though she knew no one in Atlantica would know what the song was. Or on land probably. It was such an old song…no one probably knew what it was.

"Waltz of the Snowflakes?" A voice asked behind Harmony….a voice the girl didn't immediately recognize—save for the fact it wasn't her mother. Swiveling around, the girl abruptly stopped playing again, staring open mouthed at…

Athena?

"How did you know what I was playing?!" Harmony's voice was baffled as she questioned Athena. The older woman said nothing for a moment, her slender fingers tracing the piano keys lovingly as she sighed, remembering years and years ago when Ariel had sat on this piano bench as a five year old, and tried to play—unsuccessfully.

"I've been around." Athena said, but refused to elaborate. How could she tell her fourteen year old granddaughter that she was more of a rebel than most would think? "Do you mind if I stay in here? I could leave, if you want me too, but I'd rather hide here. The one place they won't find me." Athena sighed, her fingers stroking the piano keys gently, as memories came back to her.

"You're hiding too?" Harmony asked indifferently, though her mind was a whirlwind of activity. "What for?" The girl questioned her grandmother. Athena sighed heavily, and shook her head.

"I love my family, I truly do, and I'm grateful a thousand times over that you brought me back to them…but I haven't had a spare minute to myself since they saw me. If it isn't one of the children wanting to show me a picture they've drawn, it's one of my daughters constantly bringing up memories, and if it's not all of them, it's my beloved Triton. Poseidon knows how much I love that man…but I'd rather not have him showing me off to everyone every five minutes, like some kind of trophy wife. And it's not just that them too…it's the fact that everything is so different from twenty some years of being gone." Athena sighed heavily, before she realized who she was talking too. Quickly shaking her head, she forced a smile onto her face.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't be telling you this. My problems are my own business, not that of my fourteen year old granddaughter." Athena gave a sorry smile to Harmony, who sighed and took a long swig of her cigarette, not caring if Athena saw or not.

"I don't mind. It's nice to have another actual person in this god forsaken family that's not perfect." Harmony said quietly, letting her fingers gently dance across the keys of the piano. Athena's brows furrowed for a moment, not comprehending what the girl was saying.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean." Athena said honestly, swimming to the other side of the piano so she could rest her chin in her hand.

"Everyone in this family hides what they really feel. The smile fake smiles, they lie through their teeth. Everyone has problems, and they refuse to show it. It get's…annoying…to see that you're the only non-perfect one out of all of them." Harmony said quietly, sighing as her gaze drifted back to the piano keys.

Athena was silent a moment, before lifting up the girl's chin with the knuckle of one of her fingers. "You're very observant for a fourteen year old. I didn't know anyone else could see that." Athena's murmured, not in one of those 'gentle tones' in a sincere tone to her granddaughter. Harmony pulled her chin away from Athena's fingers and gave a soft sigh.

"Every family has that odd ball…in this one, it's me…it's only natural that I see things that no one else sees." Harmony sighed again, shaking her head as though she could vanquish those thoughts from her mind.

"I didn't mean what I said about you." Athena said quietly. "It's just shocking to find out that my baby, my little Ariel was an adult, who preferred land to water. Can you forgive me? I would take back what I said, but I find that a useless technique because even though I say I take it back, it's not like I can erase it from both our minds." Athena said with a snort, feeling like a teenager right now, instead of a Queen. But who cared, her mind asked. This teenage girl was different than the rest…more…realistic about life.

"Yeah, I forgive you." Harmony said, another sigh escaping her chest as she shook her head again. "I should probably go back to my Mom before she has a mental breakdown." Harmony said, pushing herself away from the piano as she stood up. Athena nodded, but unlike most adults, didn't see the need to press for information or give the girl a lovey duvy speech. Harmony was a smart, realistic girl—who could probably care less about sentiments.

Still, as she watched the girl swim out of the room, Athena couldn't help but smile a little.

Harmony reminded her of…herself at that age.


	72. Sneaking Out, The Next Generation Way

Harmony did swim back to her mother, and let the woman apologize over, and over, and over again about how sorry she was about everything—and how she'd never say such a thing to the girl. It was mostly lies, but Harmony didn't mind. That little chat with Athena cleared her mind a little, and took a bit of the heavy weight off of her chest.

Saturday night came, and Melody, Harmony, and Coral were grounded—along with 90% of Atlantica's teenage population, since their parents had figured out they all snuck out.

To enforce the fact that the girl's were not to go anywhere, guards were posted on both Melody and Harmony's doors—along with guards outside their balcony's so that there was no chance the girl's could escape. Ariel and Eric thought this a clever move, because Harmony wouldn't leave to Atlantica without Melody, and even if Harmony did go into Melody's room without using a door, the girls would surely start talking inside the room, and then at that point the guards would hear them and turn them into their parents, who would in turn watch them the entire night if that's what it took.

Harmony, and Emma who was inside of Harmony's room, were bored to death. None of them actually talked—they used a whiteboard to communicate with each other, since if they were heard talking, Harmony would be punished even further, and Emma sent home.

_How do we get Mel__?!!! _Emma's clear handwriting was scrawled across the whiteboard, as Harmony sighed, thinking so hard that a crease went into her forehead. Melody wasn't smart enough to communicate by whiteboard, that was for sure. She'd see Harmony and start talking, and then ruin any chance of escape.

_Idk my bff Jill!!! _Harmony wrote back, sighing as she shook her head. There was no way she could leave Melody behind—but how could she get the girl? Unbeknownst to both girls, Melody had taken matters into her own hands, and was now, opening her door to reveal two guards staring straight at her with a serious face.

"I need to talk to my sister. It's really important!" Melody said, turning on the charm with the guards. Unfortunately, Anthony and Cedric weren't ones to be easily turned on with the charm.

"Princess, your not to go anywhere from your room." Anthony said in a monotone voice, bored beyond belief. It wasn't as though he didn't take his duty seriously, but babysitting teenagers?! Come on, there had to be something better than _that_.

"This is really important though. It's an emergency!" Melody said, her voice pleading and her eyelashes thick as she fluttered them a few times for effect. If they fell for this, she swore….

"Then we'll escort you to the King and Queen." Cedric said, his voice also monotone as he stared down the fourteen year old princess. Melody refused to go down without a fight though, as she bit her lip and swallowed hard.

"I can't go to my parents for this! Please, just let me go to my sister, it'll only be for a minute, I swear!" Melody was the world's best actress. After years and years of begging, she had it finally perfected to a science. Unfortunately for her, her parents knew of her tricks and had told the guards not to let her go—_no matter what_.

"You highness, the only options you have are to go to the King and Queen's chambers, or to stay in your own room. You aren't allowed to see your sister." Cedric elaborated for Anthony, as both men stared down at the princess who's eyes turned dark and angry.

"This is an emergency. If I don't go…I just really need to see her for one minute. That's all, and I'll be back in my room the rest of the night." Melody said, this time her teeth clenching as though she was furious with these guards for not letting her go. Her sister's door was right across the hall, literally she could see the guards that were standing at her door eagerly listening in to the conversation she was having between the ones posted outside of hers.

"If there's an emergency than we're to escort you to the King and Queen's chambers. Other than that, you are to go back into your room." Anthony repeated what Cedric had said, only with a bit less detail. Melody gave a frustrated sigh, as a angry breath came out of her nostrils.

"I tried to explain it as nicely as possible." The girl muttered under her breath, before looking up at both guards. "I'm having my period, and I need to see if my sister has anything that I can use before I ruin my nightgown and the sheets of my bed." Melody had her fists on both her hips, her lips angrily puckered as she looked at both guards with an expression that just said 'I will blame you if I get in trouble for bleeding all over my things'.

All four guards—the two posted outside of Harmony's door included—turned a shade of pink as they stared open mouthed at the princess. Quickly, they all moved out of the way for her, as Melody gave a 'hmph' and walked straight into her sister's room, though Anthony muttered under his breath 'one minute'.

Walking breezily into Harmony's room, Melody shut the door behind her, before asking in a loud voice to her sister "Do you have anything I can use because I'm on my period." Harmony looked startled at Melody's outburst, Emma looked as though she was going to start laughing at any minute—and Melody just winked at her sister, before mouthing what she really wanted to say.

_Let's go get Coral, _Melody mouthed to Emma and Harmony, who shared a look between each other before mischievous and amused smiles lifted up the corners of their mouths. Nodding once, Harmony said in an extra loud voice, so the guards could here

"I think I have something here Mel." By now, those guards were probably wishing they'd never agreed to babysit the princesses, Harmony mused, before taking Melody and Emma's hands within her own.

Closing her eyes, Harmony focused on the music room of the Atlantican palace, before uttering a few words under her breathe. It took a lot of energy, focus, and strength for Harmony to get all three girls into the Atlantican palace, as mermaids, without any excess body parts—but the girl managed to do it. Mind you, the minute she reopened her eyes, she was sweating profusely and fell to the floor from lack of energy.

Coral sighed as she stretched on her clam shell bed, and looked out the one window in the room she shared with her cousins. She would've escaped long ago, had it not been for the fact there was a guard posted outside the window, blocking her escape route—and every other guard in the palace had been warned that if the girl was seen swimming around, she was to report directly to her parents.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Coral looked out the window longingly, before sighing and resting her chin on her purple tail. Her loose brown locks flowed down her back in waves, since she'd been too frustrated at her mother to actually let Attina brush out her hair so that it looked nice.

"Pssht!" Harmony whispered, calling her cousin in the dark room. Coral's head snapped in the direction of three floating figures in the room. Emma, Melody, and Harmony, her mind instantly filled in. They'd escaped!

Clapping her hand over her mouth, Coral stifled a squeal as her green eyes shone brightly. Harmony grinned at her cousin, before grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her up and away from the bed she hadn't been getting much sleep on.

"I can't take all of us to the club at the same time. My magic isn't strong enough, after transporting us three here." Harmony whispered earnestly, as the giddiness in her best friend, sister, and cousin's face turned to dread.

"Then how are we going to escape?! There's a guard outside of my room!" Coral whispered, nervousness replacing the squeal she'd had inside of her just a few moments before. What could they do if Harmony wasn't strong enough, and didn't' have enough magic?!

"My powers aren't strong enough to transport us…but I can still do simple tricks. Watch, and learn." Harmony said with a wink, her voice a soft, barely audible whisper as she saw Serene move a little in her bed, while hugging Darwin closer to her small body.

In a blink of an eye, Harmony had a rock in the palm of her hand. Throwing the rock in the air once or twice, the girl deemed it heavy enough for her plan to work. Letting her fingers curl over the rock, she threw it as far as she could out the window, causing a sound to be heard as it landed. It wasn't a loud sound that would wake anyone in the palace, but it was loud enough for the guard to go to the scene of the crime and investigate what that noise was.

Quickly motioning for everyone to follow her, Harmony zoomed straight to the Catfish Club, Coral, Emma, and Melody on her fins.

* * *

**Okay, so it's 12:11...and I was supposed to turn in the computer at 10:30. Well, this is what happens when my parents fall asleep! **

**ANyway, in the last chapter, the song was...something by the band LifeHouse. I can't remember the title of the song, but anyway I don't own it. Though, thanks to xJadeRainx for giving me the tip to use it! Also, the song Harmony plays on the piano is really called the 'Waltz of The Snowflakes' by Peter T--his last name is way to long to spell! It's from the ballet show The Nutcracker--which I sadly don't also own, i'm just a HUGE fan of that song. ANd the ballet performance of it! **

**So...I love how Melody uses the period excuse in this chapter! God knows how many times I said the same thing to my MALE P.E. coach in seventh grade so I wouldn't have to run! Omg, he'd turn so red, and he'd start to stutter! It was soooo funny! **

**I also love how all the girls escape--but just barely. Sunday night is going to be even harder to escape...and something big Sunday night. The climax of the story! DUM-DUM-DUM! If you keep reviewing, I might just post the climax up tomorrow--but if you don't, I'll be mean and wait a few days! :P! **

**REVIEW! **


	73. How To Escape With 4 Guards Your Door

"Harmony Althea and Melody Aurora Benson, if you so much as think about sneaking out again I will—I will—urgh! Eric!" Ariel's voice was sharp, as her hands were in the air in a sort of choking position, as if she'd do that to her daughter's if they so much as snuck out. _Again_.

"The guards outside both your rooms—and balconies have been doubled, and they _will _be checking to see if you're in your beds every hour or so. If they find that the two of you aren't in your beds, _asleep_, trust me, when the both of you come back—if you think being grounded for the next month is bad, wait till you see how easily your mother and I take away _every privilege of yours_. Do I make myself clear?" It took a lot to rattle Eric—normally he was the calmer, more reasonable parent, where as Ariel was the one to have a horrific temper that could blow up when she was mad enough. Right now though, both parents were seething with rage.

How had the girls escaped the night before?! Eric had to admit, the 'period' excuse was good, but Melody wasn't even having a monthly cycle yet….or wait, was she? Just the thought of it made Eric's neck hot with a furious blush.  
"Yes Father." Melody muttered her head down so her father didn't see the smile on her features. It was pretty funny to see her father blush—and she knew exactly why too.

"Harmony?" Eric's clearly angered voice prodded, as he stole a look at his wife. Ariel was grinding her teeth together; holding back what she really wanted to say for fear her daughter would runaway. _Again._

"You can't _prove_ that I've snuck out before, therefore I can't be held to the same standard as a teenager who has." Was all Harmony said, her blue eyes looking directly into her father's furious burning blue ones calmly. Well, it was true. Her parents couldn't actually prove that she'd snuck out before—they were just falling back on what they heard from their guards.

"Get to your room. Now." Ariel's voice came out amazingly calm—and yet somehow still extremely, extremely, extremely furious. Before Harmony could retort anything, Melody clasped her hand over her sister's mouth and dragged the girl back to their rooms.

Ariel and Eric had been right—the guards _had_ doubled up outside of their rooms. Instead of two to each door, it was now four, and there had to be at least two outside both of their balconies. Sighing, and with a grimace, both girl's separated and went into their own rooms.

_What do we do now, _Emma scrawled out on the white board, showing it up to Harmony who sighed and shook her head. What could they do now? Ariel and Eric had posted guards everywhere it seemed—the girls couldn't escape.

_Idk—wait!_ Harmony quickly scrawled, as a risky idea formed in her head. Maybe it was too risky…but she had to try. Anything to get out of this room, to get Melody, and get to the Catfish Club—The Next Generation. Saturday night there was double the crowd there had been on Friday—apparently word went around fast in Atlantica—at least to teens.

_Do you think it'll work?!_ Emma scrawled out on the white board back to Harmony, who grimaced and shook her head. It was risky, and involved a lot of quick maneuvering…but whatever it took to get to the club.

With an affirmative nod to each other, both girls's got into position. Harmony by the French windows that opened up to her balcony and Emma by her door. Taking in a deep breathe, Harmony pushed open one of the doors…and let loose one of the bloody murder screams inside of her.

"HELP ME! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME! HELP, HELP, HELP!" Harmony screamed at the top of her lungs, leaning backwards so her head was out of the window, and therefore it looked as though someone had her neck.

Almost instantly, the door to her room swung open, revealing eight guards with swords already drawn. Harmony could have laughed—had it not been for the fact she was still screaming—as she saw Emma slip out of her room, behind the guards, and into Melody's room.

Still screaming at the top of her lungs, Harmony took a step to the left when she saw like four of the guards charging towards her balcony door. Her breathing caught in her throat as she tried hard not to laugh as one held her back, and the others fell on top of each other trying to kill whoever was trying to kill the princess.

From the corner of her eye, Harmony saw Emma and Melody's heads poking into her room, their faces grinning when they saw her still screaming and being held back by a guard. No doubt her parents were probably racing each other to see what on earth all the commotion was about.

Balling her hand into a fist, Harmony used all her might to swing her arm backwards…and right into the guard who was holding her…well, a very hurtful part of his anatomony that caused him to fall to the ground, gasping for breath. Stepping over the man lightly, and rolling her eyes at the guards that were still trying to fight off the invisible person who had tried to kill her, Harmony ran to her doorway. With a grin to both her sisters, she grabbed both their hands, said something quickly under her breathe….and went to the music room in Atlantica…just as her parents got to her room to see why she was screaming.


	74. Tears Songs and 1 Historic Guitar Solo

"I just don't understand it. How could three teenagers outsmart more than five guards?!" Attina muttered to herself, shaking her head off as she resumed pacing around the throne room. Her father and mother exchanged worried looks with each other—and Darren, Attina's husband for that matter.

"Attina, they've got to come back _sometime_. Stop pacing and just wait for them to come back." Darren pleaded with his wife, but Attina waved her hand as if dismissing him.

"They've got to be somewhere in the sea—but where? And every teenager in Atlantica? Something isn't making sense here." Attina muttered again to herself, as she shook off her head. Her two fourteen year old nieces, _plus_ her own daughter had managed to escape the Atlantican palace—somehow or another without being caught. But it wasn't just them that were gone. Oh no, it was most teens in Atlantica. They just…all snuck out, leaving behind frustrated and worried parents.

"Attina, why don't you just leave the situation be? Beach the girls in the morning, but don't spend all night pacing. If you remember correctly, you snuck out a few times when you were what?—a year or two younger than them?" Athena's voice pleaded with her oldest to see what she meant, but Attina wasn't listening to reason right now. Her mind was in a narrow shot, thinking about where all the teenagers in Atlantica could be.

"Your mother's right Attina. Just go rest and beach the girls in the morning." Triton also tried his hand at pleading, but Attina just shook off her father's voice as too much concerned for her safety. She didn't need to be protected; she was 38 for goodness sake! Her thirteen year old daughter, on the other hand…well, you fill in the blanks.

"It just doesn't make sense, it just doesn't make any—" Attina abruptly cut off when she heard a sleepy voice call out to her from the doors that lead to the throne room.

"I can't find my Mommy." Serene's tiny voice called out to the adults, as her bottom lip trembled, and her eyes drooped down. Her bedtime was hours, upon hours ago…and yet, she was clearly awake. "Darwin is scared." Serene said, holding up her stuffed sea horse over her face to demonstrate her point, before swimming into her Aunt's comforting arms and crying.

"I want my Mommy, I want my Mommy, I want my Mommy!" The little girl cried, as Attina turned the table like a switch on her back. One minute she was furious and not understanding where her daughter was, the next she was easily comforting the small child in her arms.

"Shh Serene. Your Mommy is asleep right now, it's very late. You should be asleep too." Attina murmured, letting the young child burrow her face into her chest and cry out her tears.

"I-I can't go to sleep. I had a nightmare." Serene hiccupped, clutching Darwin to her chest band tightly. The sea horse was the perfect size for the child—not to gigantic, but not to small either. Besides, Darwin was _always _with her. She couldn't imagine a life without him!

"You did?" Athena's voice murmured, gliding weightlessly over to Serene. Letting Attina hand her the young girl, Athena used her index finger to wipe off a tear or two on the child's face. "And what was your nightmare about?"

"Har-Harmony and Coral and Melody and Emma were at the club place thingy and a monster came out and tried to ea-eat them!" Serene wailed, hiding her face once again in someone's chest. If she couldn't find her Mommy, then one of her Aunts or her Grandmother were good.

"Club? What club Serene?" Darren's voice was gentle to the young child, but he really couldn't hide that amount of uncertainty in his voice. What was Serene actually saying? What club did she have a nightmare about?

"The C-C-Cat…um…" Serene sounded out the first word of the club, but she couldn't remember the rest of the words! The girl's brow furrowed as she looked up at her Grandma, who's expression was gentle and prodding for the girl to finish out her thought.

"The Catfish Club?" Triton summarized up for his six year old granddaughter. Serene, though still too young to be attending school (merchildren started school at age seven) was trying to start reading, though she was having difficulty with it, like most children.

"Noooo." Serene drawled out the word no to her Grandfather, shaking her head as her blonde locks went everywhere. "It's the Catfish Club—The Next Gener-Generato-Generation!" The girl remembered the last word, knowing that to be right.

"Of course. And underground club, all the teenagers gone…of course." Attina muttered under her breath, her eyes wide as she figured out where her daughter and two nieces were. "Momma, can you put Serene back to bed? I'm going to go…_talk_ to those three girls." Attina, if you didn't notice it already, was far from talking.

"_Every week's the same  
Stuck in school, so lame  
My parents say that I'm lazy  
Getting up at 8 am's crazy_

_Tired of being told what to do  
So unfair  
So uncool_

_Day's too long  
And I`m holding on  
Till I hear the bell ring 'Cuz that's the time when  
_

_We're gonna breakout,  
Let the party start,  
We're gonna stay out,  
We`re gonna break some hearts,  
We`re gonna dance till the dance floor falls apart,  
Uh-Oh! all over again,_

_We`re gonna wake up  
Everyone we know ,  
We`re gonna have some fun,  
We`re gonna lose control,  
It feels so good, to let go!"  
_

_  
_Melody finished her song with ease, laughing happily at the end of it as she twirled around on stage, loving the cheers she was receiving. Coral and Stephen were nudging each other with their elbows, laughing at some joke…while Harmony sat in the back with her drums, just watching the crowd with no particular interest. That's when a thought popped into Melody's head.

"Who wants' to hear Harmony sing?" She called out the crowd of teenagers, as the room erupted in louder cheers. So loud in fact, that they deafended out the noise of all the parents of those teens filing into the club, without the teens even realizing it since they were so far in the back.

"No!" Harmony quickly put up her defense, as her heart started to beat fast. She never, ever sang for anyone. Maybe someone overheard her singing, but she never sang for exactly them. She wasn't sure of her voice to do such a thing.

"Harmony, Harmony, Harmony, Harmony…." The chanting of her name made Harmony cringe, as she realized her twin, her cousin, her base man Stephen, and even Emma from the crowd were chanting. She'd have to go up, her mind said. No, she answered back, scared beyond belief.

"Alright, one song." Where did that come from, Harmony's mind wondered, as she moved up to the center stage, as Melody moved aside for her sister, glowing with happiness. The room had erupted into more cheers, so loud that not even the tapping of Attina's nails could be heard.

Soon enough though, the room silenced. A hush fell over everyone, as they looked up at Harmony expectantly. The girl grimaced, her heart beating fast as she heard Coral and Stephen start up an intro for the song. What song though?! What could she do?! This was a bad idea, this was bad, this was bad, her mind repeated. Somewhere in the mist of her mind repeating this though, the girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and…sang.

"_I've always been the kind of girl  
That hid my face  
So afraid to tell the world  
What I've got to say  
But I had this dream  
Bright inside of me  
I'm going to let it show  
It's time  
For the show." _

Here Harmony's voice picked up strength, and for the first time, she opened her blue eyes, a smile reaching onto her face though she didn't know why. She no longer was still; she laughed a bubbly laugh as she moved across the stage, gliding to the music and the words of her song. 

"Do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark  
To dream about a life where you're the shining star  
Even though it seems  
Like it's to far away  
I have to believe in myself  
It's the only way

This is the real, this is me  
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now  
Gonna let the light  
Shine on me  
Now I've found  
Who I am  
There's no way to hold it in  
No more hiding who I want to be  
This is me!"

Harmony was out of breath, but she was happy. Happier than she'd been in months to be exact. It was true, this was where she was meant to be. Center stage, she'd found her place. She was meant to be the girl who followed her dream, and actually became a success…this was she. This was what Harmony was.

Though the words to Harmony's song ended, Coral couldn't resist a electric guitar solo. The crowd spilt apart for her, cheering as her fingers flew across the frets, triplets, quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, fermatta's, and scales all blended together in an epic solo of all time. Better than what Eddy Van Halen had ever played, no, now her solo was the one that would go down in history! Laughing like a lunatic, Coral slid on her tail across the floor, as she struck the last note of the guitar solo, and looked up happily to see….she'd stopped nearly an inch from her mother…and about fifty other Atlantican parents.

Ever heard a room full of teenagers utter the phrase 'oh shit' at the same time?

Neither had Harmony until that very moment.

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**Whew! What a long chapter! I hope you like it, because the climax is in either the next chapter, or the chapter after that. BUt possibly by tomorrow night I'll have the climax up, don't worry! Anyway...did you not love the cliffhanger? I know it's cruel to keep you wondering for so long, but it's also cruel for xJadeRainx not to post up any Ocean Heart chapters! I'm so high strung because I want to read those chapters, that I'm ready to kill someone! I need my daily dose of Hali xJadeRainx! **

**So....there will be a sequel to this story--yay! And at the same time there will be two other stories that i'm working on--one is a prequel to the Harmony stories. I think you might like my new stories...after I'm done with this one, of course. **

**Neway...it's 12:27...my parents really should stay up till ten thirty, but since they don't, I use the computer all night and they don't know. Haha, who rocks now? that's right, COLONEL SANDERS DOES! WOOHOO! GO CHICKEN MAN! **

**....yes I know I have problems. But if I was normal, would you have nearly as much fun reading my author notes? **


	75. Taking Full Responsibility

The smile on Coral's face instantly vanished, replaced by something much, much, much worse—fear. Her green eyes went wide, her hand covering her mouth in shock at seeing her mother, no less than an inch from her.

Melody and Stephen were frozen in their places—Stephen had had Melody in a head lock, and Melody just stared out at crowd of parents. Every teenager in the room suddenly felt their hearts beating, oh, just about two hundred miles per hour. Nothing really.

The silence in the room was finally cut by the babble of angry voices—adult voices to be precise. Parent's started swimming and grabbing their children, dragging them behind as they started with the threats. Stephen was pulled away from Melody, his mother dragging him by his arm out of the room. Courtney, one of the girl's who found she had a real talent for dancing (or grinding) had her father yelling into her ear about how idiotic this was of her. Greg, who had just gotten enough nerve to ask out Reba on a date, was pulled literally away by his tail, his parents angrily muttering under their breath. In total, it was complete chaos in the club.

Attina somehow managed to grab Coral's wrist and yank the girl up, _painfully_. Attina had a fairly strong grip on her daughter, as her green eyes angrily searched for her two nieces. She said not a word, and looked not at Coral, but by the way she pursed her lips and how her expression was twisted in fury, Coral knew she was in deep, deep, _deep _trouble.

When all the parents—after about ten minutes—had cleared out with their panicking teenagers in tow, is when the room returned to silence once again. Attina finally located her two nieces—and as an added bonus, Emma. Melody was staring wide eyed fearfully at her Aunt, knowing that she would be turned in to her mother and it was the end of all her fun for a _long_ time.

"Melody, Harmony, come here. Now." Attina's voice was icy as she kept her green eyes steadily on Harmony, wondering when the girl was going to make a break for it.

Melody swam slowly towards her Aunt, heart pumping fearfully. Harmony just swam over like it was no big deal, Emma by her side. Harmony's face was the epitome of keeping cool.

"Do you girls' know what time it is? It's three in the morning. _Three. In. The. Morning._" Attina's voice was that fury calm type voice that practically said 'don't mess with me, or I _will _kill you'.

"I take full responsibility Aunt Attina." A soft voice said, breaking the silence between the girls. Four heads snapped in that direction, each one staring at the girl in a mixture of shock, and awe. "It was my idea to have a secret club, it was my idea to have it late at night, and it was my idea to sneak out. Coral, Emma, and Melody shouldn't be punished—I should be. It's my fault." Harmony's voice was clear, but also soft. Her face was as smooth as a rock she knew—because she was hiding down her real feelings. She wanted to scream, she wanted to throw a tantrum, she wanted to hate Attina's guts for finding them here.

"What are you doing?!" Coral squirmed awkwardly, turning around to face Harmony, wincing as the grip her mother had on her wrist tightened considerably. "Aunt Ariel will _kill _you!" Coral all but yelled at her cousin. Harmony didn't even wince at Coral's loud voice. Her face was still set like stone.

"It was my idea; I put the plan in motion. I take full responsibility for what happened." Harmony's voice was unemotional, her face clear as a stone. Attina narrowed her green eyes at her fourteen year old niece, rage consuming her thoughts as she stared down her niece.

"No! Aunt Attina you can't believe her! Mom will throw her out again—or lock in her in a dungeon again—please, don't tell Mom! Please!" Melody begged her blue eyes full and her heart beating fast.

"Melody, was the club Harmony's idea?" Attina asked, her voice furiously calm.

"Well, yeah but—"

"Than there's nothing I can do." Attina said honestly. She knew lying to Ariel was out of the question—Ariel had an amazing talent for knowing when she was being lied to. "Come on, the both of you. I'm going to hand you over to your mother and let her deal with your punishment." Attina said, tightening even more the grip she on her daughter and shooting an angry look towards the girl who was squirming to have her mother realease her. That's when Attina caught a good look at Coral's belly button ring.

"Take the ring out before I rip it out." It was a harsh command from Attina's lips, as her grip tightened even more on Coral's wrist. The girl winced, but stood up to her full height and gazed back at her mother.

"No."

"Now Coral." Attina's patience was running thin. How had Coral even gotten her belly button pierced! How had she hidden it?! What was the girl thinking?!

"No."

"Then stay still because I swear I'm going to rip it out with my nails." Attina's teeth clenched angrily, her eyes boring holes into her daughter. Coral neatly dodged the hand her mother sent too close to her belly button ring.

"I'm not you Mom. It's my body, and I have the right to do what I want with it. Just because _you_ never had fun as a kid, doesn't mean you have to live out your suckish teen years through _me."_ Coral stated, ripping her wrist away from her mother's tight grip. Her eyes were wild with fire, her teeth grinding against themselves angrily as she stared down her mother.

"We'll talk about this later." Was all Attina said, in that furious calm voice of hers. Turning to Harmony and Melody once again, she barely noticed Emma was next to the both of them. "I'm going to hand you off to your mother and let _her_ decide what to do with the both of you."

And just like that, Harmony found herself being dragged along up to the surface.

* * *

**OMFG! I wonder what will happen up on the surface...review! :D**


	76. Goodbye Forever

"Harmony! Melody!" Ariel's voice broke through the dark night, as her worried expression turned to one of relief. Harmony and Emma were soaking wet, but Melody was in her nightgown, completely dry as she looked fearfully up at Ariel. "Where were you two?! It's four in the morning!" Ariel said, releasing the hug she had on her daughters to switch to another emotion. Anger.

"They re-made the Catfish Club for teenagers." Attina said, pausing a moment as she bit her lip, unsure if she was going to say the next sentence or not. Ariel, who had set the lantern on the sand turned her blue eyes onto her sister, as she couldn't even look at her daughters right this moment. That's how angry she was.

"And…" Ariel prodded, her eyes darkly staring straight at Attina, and not taking any notice of how Attina had a loose grip on her daughter's wrist.

"And…" Attina couldn't do it. Not after everything Harmony had been through. She'd keep that one little fact to herself, but she couldn't tell Ariel—the woman who'd put the girl through so much pain—that Harmony took full responisbilty. Fortunately, she didn't have to, because another voice piped up.

"It's my fault Mom. It was my idea to have a club, just for teenagers. It was my idea to stay out late. And it was my idea to sneak out on weekend nights. I take full responsibility for my actions—and Melody, Coral, and Emma's actions." Harmony said quietly, her voice making something inside of Ariel…just snap. Countless hours of worrying, mixed with lack of sleep, mixed with hatred for the girl who couldn't just be normal, made her tongue to start spitting out words.

" 'It's my fault'." Ariel mimicked, in a ultra high voice as though she was imitating her daughter. "Well damnit, when is it not your fault Harmony?! It's always your fault, isn't it?! If you aren't going off and killing a boy you didn't like, or getting into fights, or running away after I yell at you, or almost getting yourself _killed, _it's always your damn fault!" Ariel shrieked angrily. Harmony winced as her mother reached a high note in her voice. Just that tone Ariel was using…it brought back so many horrible memories. Harmony's screams of pain…her tears at night…her bruises…the teachers wondering, but not asking…the girl stumbled backwards as the memories started playing in her mind like a film without sound.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I never meant to-to do any of that…things just happened…and…and…" Harmony had fallen on the sand now, but quickly stood back up, tears in her eyes as she fearfully looked up at the woman who'd given her life…and had almost taken it away so many times.

"Ariel, what Harmony did was wrong…but don't you think your going a bit to far?" Attina tried to reason with her furious sister. But, when Ariel turned to her…well, it was like a different person. There was hatred and pain burning bright in her wild blue eyes.

"Shut up Attina. She's my daughter, I decide when it's enough. Not you, _big sister_." Attina's brows raised high, as she was literally taken aback by the harshness of Ariel's tone.

"Harmony, go back to Nebraska, and _stay there _for 't come back, don't travel in between worlds—all you cause is heartbreak and pain." The words were icy to Hamrony's ears, as the girl suddenly saw in her minds eye a memory of her running through the palace the last time this had happened.

"I-I'm sorry! Please, I-I-I'll be better! Don't kick me out again, please, I'll never cry again, I'-I'll do anything!" Harmony begged, her knees weaker than Jell-O. Tears were falling down her face as broken sobs came out of her chest. In a few moments, she'd be in hysterics…no! She didn't want them to do this to her again! She couldn't live with the pain of this any longer! Sure, Ariel might be mad…but she wouldn't kick her daughter out again…right?

"Oh cut the drama act already, _Katherine_." Ariel's furiously icy voice echoed in Harmony's ears, making the girl cry harder. Her tears were making it hard for her to see anything now. "Stop crying." Ariel said, calmer, maybe even nicer. Harmony couldn't stop though, she just kept crying harder. "I said, Stop. Crying." Ariel's voice was angrier now, furious as her blue eyes wildly looked at the girl who was shaking hard from the effort to keep up on her two legs. "Stop crying!" Ariel shrieked, though, it did little to soothe Harmony's tears. Emma and Melody stood on the side, both of them frozen in place, not knowing what to do. Coral hid behind her mother, whimpering as her Aunt shrieked, though it wasn't addressed to her. And Attina…well, Attina was just there, her green eyes staring at her niece in shock, pity, awe, and…helplessness.

"I-I'll be go-good. I'll b-be good." Harmony whispered, her sobs coming out more hysterical now as she suddenly felt an absence of air in her lungs. Her shaking hand slowly reached for her inhaler, which was in her jeans pocket, as she put it to her mouth hysterically crying still. And that, is what caused Ariel to finally crack.

"STOP FUCKING CRYING ALREADY!" Ariel shrieked angrily, as Harmony's blue eyes went the widest they'd ever been. Not because of Ariel's tone though, no, her eyes opened up wide because of the fact she saw Ariel hand sailing towards her cheek.

In the movies, these things happen in slow motion for added effect. In real life, these things happen in a blink of an eye. One minute Harmony was staring at the hand…the next, she heard a loud SLAP! and her cheek was throbbing. Slowly shaking, the inhaler in the girl's fingers fell the ground with a soft thud, as her fingers that still showed through the cast she had on her arm from last week, went up to her cheek and touched the red imprint of a hand. Not one word was uttered for an entire minute.

"Harmony…I-I…" Ariel's sentence wouldn't form in her mouth. Her words were strangled, her eyes staring in horror and shock at what she'd done. She'd hit her child. The girl she'd spent years fantasying how wonderful it'd be when she returned…she'd hit her.

"You know," a voice cut through the air, amazingly calm and collected from what just happened—though it was no more than a whisper. "I know what I want from life now. I want to be done with it. I don't want any more pain, I don't want any more nightmares…I want to be free. And if that means dying…then so be it." She was shaking, Harmony realized. Whether from the leftover tears, the leftover hysterics, or just the fear of what she was about to do, Harmony didn't know.

"Harmony, what are you planning?" Ariel's broken voice asked…as Harmony looked up blankly at the woman who'd given her life fourteen years ago…and who'd put the girl through so much pain. Now, Harmony was finally going to end it all. The cycle would stop repeating…she'd be free.

"Ryan had the right idea. He didn't want to live in pain, and neither will I. Goodbye….forever." When the knife appeared in Harmony's hands, she would never know, but she did know one thing.

How a cold blade felt when it sliced through your skin and pierced your heart.

* * *

**Cnt really talk because i've got to leave for a soccer game now! I cried alot in this chapter, review and *sniffle* yeah**


	77. Wailing and Screaming

People, nowadays, joke about death. Most teenagers say 'I will seriously kill myself if I don't get those tickets' or 'I _will_ murder you if you don't post up a new chapter soon, xJadeRainx.' These words are usually said in a joking tone, with no meaning but pure laughter behind them. But…do the people who actually utter these phrases understand what they mean? That, is the million dollar question that would haunt all three girls who watched Harmony pierce her heart with a knife for the rest of their lives.

A scream arose from someone's lips as Harmony fell on her knees, weak with pain. Another scream now, as the girl could blurrily see blood falling all over her clothes, spilling out of the wound like soda out of a machine. Harmony started to choke on something, blood?, as a dark red liquid spilled out of her mouth. Her body was in pain…there was pain and darkness everywhere. It was like she was drowning—she couldn't make sense of anything but darkness…and yet, at the same time, she could hear voices calling out to her, screaming at her practically….but Harmony couldn't make out their words. There was a high pitched sound that broke through the girls throat, her eyes going wider and shutting, and then reopening. Someone was screaming, painfully, and it hurt Harmony's ears…oh wait. The person screaming was her.

"Harmony! Harmony, oh Harmony!" Ariel wail-screamed as tears fell down her eyes, onto her cheeks, and then onto the girl who's body she was holding. More blood was spilling out from Harmony's mouth, and even more from the wound. The girl's eyes were open, but blank at the same time. Ariel put her hand on the wound where blood was escaping, sobbing hysterically as she saw her hand was doing nothing. The wound was deeply embedded into Harmony's chest, and blood was flowing everywhere.

"Move!" Emma's voice commanded, literally pushing Ariel out of the way. Ariel fell to the sand in a state of shock, tears, anger, frustration…and so many other emotions that would be hard to describe. Emma cursed something under her breathe before ripping off a piece of her shirt and placing the cloth ripped strip on Harmony's chest wound. Thank god they taught them what to do during an emergency like this in seventh grad, Emma thought to herself in passing, before her thoughts once again directed on Harmony.

The girl was gasping for breath, choking on her own blood as she was lying down on the ground. So much blood…soon it'd be all gone because Harmony would bleed to death. Thinking quick, Emma made a spilt second decision, as she looked directly at Ariel with pleading eyes.

"She's going to bleed to death. Let me…let me take her to Nebraska. They have hospital's there. She can get…more blood if…she needs it. Surgeons…if she needs a new heart…they can give one to her. She'll have a better chance of surviving. Please, let me take her back." Emma pleaded sitting Harmony up in her arms as she felt the tears falling down her face. Ariel wailed again at the top of her lungs, though it also could have been a scream for it was that loud.

"No! I won't let you take her away from me! No! NO!" Ariel wailed angrily and sadly, hysterical already as her breath was going in and out of her in ragged, shallow breathing. Ariel pulled her daughter away from Emma, wailing at the top of her lungs as she saw Harmony was barely alive. The girl was choking on her blood, her breathing was barely coming out…if Emma had to guess, she'd say her best friend had about five minutes left. Swallowing what was left of her composure, Emma looked at the Queen with tear stains all over her face.

"Please, she'll _die_! Please, please, PLEASE!" Emma didn't know when her voice rose to a scream, but it definitely did. Ariel wailed and shook her head, holding onto her daughter tightly, never letting go, refusing to believe her daughter would die.

"Ariel, for Poseidon's sake, let go of Harmony! She'll die, is that what you want?! Let them go back to…to Nebasketa! She'll have a better chance to live Ariel, let go of Harmony and let them go back!" Attina pleaded with her sister to understand, but Ariel wouldn't. She scream wailed, hugging her daughter's bloody body as a scream of pain arose from Harmony's lips.

"It hurts! FUCK IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! Make it st-stop!" Harmony screamed, not knowing anything but the pain. Everything was fuzzy in her view, she couldn't hear anything but the pounding in her ears. She couldn't smell anything but her own blood, and she couldn't breathe. She was choking on her own blood she realized, and she was dying. Who knew that dying would hurt so much? Well, it'd be all over soon…hopefully.

"I'm sorry Ariel." Attina finally murmured to her sister, before reaching out a hand to her sister's arm. Her grip was hard on her sister's arm, as she pulled Ariel off of Harmony's body. Using both her hands, Attina managed to hold her sister back, away from the bloody body of her niece.

"Let go of me, let GO!" Ariel screamed, squirming like a child to get her sister to stop holding her, and to go back to her daughter.

"GO! Take her away, go back to Neb—wherever you're from, go back and help Harmony live. Please." Attina's voice was soft on the last word, but the rest of the sentence was yelled. She needed her niece to live…she wanted Harmony to live…Harmony had to. She was fourteen…she had to live.

"Okay." Emma breathed out the word, as she grasped Harmony's hand in her own. Closing her eyes, Emma was about to tug on her bracelet…when a hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Wait. Take me with you." Melody's soft voice said, as Ariel wailed harder, trying even harder to escape from her sister's grasp. Coral just stayed frozen behind her mother, her arms around Attina's waist as her head rested against her mother's back. She was going to be sick…there was so much blood in people…so much blood…"My blood is the same as my sister's. If…if she needs blood…I can, I can give it to her." Melody's voice was a whisper…but she knew it had to be done.

"Are you sure?" Emma hesitated, her voice whisper soft. Taking a quick look at Attina, who was struggling to hold onto Ariel, she looked back at Melody who looked….strong. Strangely…she looked as though she was strong, as though she could do this.

"Yes."

"Okay." Emma whispered, grasping Melody's hand in her own as Ariel wailed louder, struggling even harder to get out of Attina's grip. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, and crying, and wailing...Ariel was a complete mess. But who cared? She wasn't about to lose both her daughters at the same time! NO! She wouldn't lose any of them! She had to make them stop...Harmony couldn't go back...Melody couldn't go with her...she'd lose them both. Two daughters, one night...she couldn't lose the both of them!

Emma took in a deep breath, swallowed down her fears and tears….and tugged as hard as she could on her bracelet.

* * *

**Now I feel bad for Ariel...but at the same time angry because she caused this to happen. I wonder what will happen next? Hm...review and you may just find out! **

**P.S. xJadeRainx, it's been SEVEN DAYS since you haven't posted, PLEASE post up a new chapter soon. PLEASE!!!!!**


	78. Losing What You Loved

"NO!" Ariel screamed, her voice louder than loud as she saw her daughter—both her daughters disappear. Attina released her grip on Ariel suddenly, and the Queen fell to the sand, before slowly looking up.

They were gone. Her daughter…her Harmony…her Melody…the only trace that they were ever there was the blood all over the sand. They were gone. Gone. Her daughters….were gone.

"No….no….no…" Ariel curled up into a little ball on the sand, trying to block out the pain. Her daughters…both of them…gone…never to come back…gone…Harmony was dying…probably dead….and now she'd lost Melody. She'd lost them both. She was a failure.

"Shh sweetie. It's alright baby sister. It'll be alright." Attina murmured, pulling her younger sister into her comforting arms and letting Ariel cry. To lose both your daughters in one night…how awful.

"Th-they-they're g-gone." Ariel whispered, clutching onto Attina's arms with all her weak might. She didn't know where her Melody was…and Harmony…Harmony…so much blood…too much blood…

"Shh, it's alright Ariel. Everything will be alright." Attina murmured still, stroking Ariel's red hair in an effort to get her calmed down. "Coral," Attina said softly, as to not upset her sister even more. "Go back home and get to bed. It's past your curfew." Amazing how Attina could keep calm, though her insides were a jumbled mess. Her niece…had just stabbed herself…how could Harmony? Did she really hate life that much?! Was it really that painful for her to live?!

"H-Harmony's….dead…isn't she Mom?" Coral whispered, envying Ariel at the moment. She wanted to be the one curled in her mother's arms, crying because she just didn't know what to do. Her favorite cousin…the girl that showed her that being normal was stupid….was _gone_. And the worst part was that she didn't know if Harmony was alive, if she was dead—oh even, the very worst one of them all, if she was in pain.

"….I don't know. I just don't know sweetheart." Attina admitted, not looking up at her thirteen year old daughter who'd just witnessed….something horrifying. Was that how Harmony felt after her brother…did the same thing? Did she feel…lost, scared, unknowing of what lay ahead of her?

Coral did a double take, as she completely tuned out the sobbing of her Aunt Ariel. Her mother…admitted she didn't know something…but that was impossible! Attina always knew what she was doing!

"Go back to Atlantica and get to bed, alright? I'll be back in a little bit honey." Attina murmured, before leaning down for just a quick second and giving her daughter a quick peck on the forehead. That one move made Ariel sob harder, as she realized _she'd_ never be able to do that to her _own_ daughters ever again.

"O-Okay." It took all of Coral's might not to turn around and vomit out her dinner. Shaking with fear from what she'd just seen, and wiping the tear tracks on her face away, Coral turned in the water and headed for home.

"Att-Attina…she-she's de-dead. An-And Mel-Melody is…is gon-gone. I-I'm a-an aw-awful mo-mother." Ariel whispered out, already breathing hysterically. Her daughters…her beautiful daughters….gone…never to be seen again…just gone…

"Shh, don't say that baby sister. Your not an awful mother—the woman who beat Harmony a child is. And they'll be back…" Attina murmured softly, in the distance making out a faint light heading towards her and Ariel. Probably some human who'd heard all the screaming and was coming to investigate. The thought of it made Attina clench her fist—a reflex reaction since the time she was a child.

"I-I-I'm a-awful!" Ariel wailed, hiding herself further in her oldest sister's arms. It's where she felt…almost like a child again. Like when she'd have those awful nightmares, and Attina would stay up half the night with her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her.

"May I?" Attina was suddenly startled by a clear voice, as her head jerked up to see…Eric. Relief flooded her, knowing that at least someone who loved Ariel—almost as much as she—was here instead of those dirty rotten humans who'd taken Athena away from her…the first time that is. Nodding slightly, Attina handed her sister off to Eric's waiting arms, whereupon Ariel immediately curled into him, and clutched his shirt tightly.

"Shh my love. I'm here now darling, it's alright." Eric said softly, letting his Ariel cry out her salty tears on his shirt. Though, screw his shirt right now because Ariel was in pain—and when she was in pain, well damnit, he was in pain.

"The girls were operating a music club for teenagers. Harmony told her she took full responsibility…and then she slapped her. Then…Harmony…she…she…" Hang on Attina, the woman's mind said, you can do this. "Stabbed herself. Emma…she said that there was a better chance Harmony could live if she went back to…wherever their from…and Melody went with them…because she said…if Harmony needed blood…she could give it to her." Attina explained softly, her throat closing up as she struggled with her inner demons not to let loose a single tear. At least, not until she was with Darren. He'd seen her cry before…he'd understand.

"So both of them are…in another world?" Eric had a hard time letting the words escape his mouth. Both his daughters…the only children he'd ever had…they weren't dead (at least one of them not yet) but it was like they were. Eric was suddenly taken back to the time when Ariel was having his daughters…his first glimpse of those beautiful pink faces that had looked up at him with these eyes…

"I'm sorry." Attina said softly, placing her hand on her brother in law's shoulder. Her and Eric—like most of her family—didn't have a strong relationship. Eric never left land, so it's not like they saw a lot of him. Granted, if you excused the past few weeks, it was the same thing with Ariel…but Ariel was different. She was an orginal of their family, a former mermaid…and Eric was a human. Though everyone was happy Ariel had found her love…it was still a bit disarming to know that their sister was married to a man they barely knew.

"You should go back to Atlantica…it's late, Attina." Noticing that she hesitated to leave Ariel, Eric gave her a wan, humorless thin smile. "I'll take care of Ariel, don't worry."

Attina was reluctant to leave her sister, but it'd already been—what, and hour? Ten minutes? How long had it been since she'd been here, on the surface, dealing with Ariel, Harmony, Coral, Emma, and Melody? Sighing, Attina nodded, still reluctant, and gave Ariel a kiss on her cheek, murmuring something low to her that Eric couldn't quite catch. With a final nod to Eric, Attina silently dove back into the water, and went back to Atlantica.

* * *

**Now I feel really bad for** **Ariel! Ttly, the new reciever for the t.v. came in and I have to install it :D hope I don't mess it up!**


	79. Hospital

The hospital smelled like rubbing alcohol and death. Or maybe it smelled more like rubbing alcohol and the crappy food that they serve to the patients. Either way, four children were exhausted and were seriously starting to hate that smell.

Emma and Melody sat side by side on two hard chairs in the waiting room. Melody, who on Emma's insistence, was wearing a pair of Harmony's jeans (that Harmony had left at Emma's house) and a loose tee shirt that was, again, Harmony's. If her mother had been here, she'd be appalled by Melody's slumping posture—not that Melody really gave a crap about that right now.

Emma was also slumped against the hard chair, rubbing her eyes to try and keep awake. Her little brother, Tommy, who was only three, was sleeping peacefully on her lap. And her younger sister, Susie, who was twelve, was leaning against her older sister, wondering when she'd get something to eat. Both children were still in their pajamas, as they had been rudely awaken by Emma screaming morning to call 911. That was at four thirty in the morning. It was noon now.

"When will they say something about how she is?" Susie muttered under her breathe angrily, a bit cranky because she hadn't slept since…since she couldn't even remember. Emma sighed, blinking her eyes fast so that she didn't fall asleep like her little brother.

"I know. It feels like we've been here forever." Emma sighed again, remembering when the ambulance had pulled up to her home. It was only by a sheer amount of begging and pleading that all four children had been allowed to ride in the ambulance. But that had been easy, compared to when they'd arrived at the hospital and had fifty questions about Harmony asked.

What happened, where they were, the time, the place—it was only by a sheer amount of luck that Emma and Melody had put most of the questions at bay, avoiding them as best they could.

The story they had given was that they'd all been over at Emma's, and had gone downstairs to grab a snack. Harmony had been holding a knife in her hand, and when one of the girls said a joke she pretended to stab herself because it was about her, but she'd only pretended jokingly. It had been clear that the doctors hadn't believed their story one bit, but with a puppy dog look from Melody they'd taken it anyway.

"Em, I'm hungry." Susie complained, and Emma shot her younger sister an exhausted look. What Emma wouldn't give to be curled up in bed right now, with her mother giving her a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows. Unfortunately, Greta, Emma's mother, had been working another graveyard shift—and about four more day shifts in the city—and it was impossible to reach Greta because she always had her cell phone turned off.

"Here." Emma said, sticking her hand in her pocket and pulling out a crumpled up five dollar bill. "Buy something from the vending machine for you and Tommy. I'm hungry." Emma didn't offer to get anything for Melody—one because the girl looked a little light headed still from the doctors taking out about a pint of her blood. And two, because Emma didn't even have enough money with her to buy anything for Melody. Or her, for that matter.

The minute Susie got up and went to the vending machine, was the minute Melody started talking again. Her voice was low, so she didn't wake the child on Emma's lap, but also scared and…shifty.

"What's happening to Harmony?"

"I don't know. But these people are doctors…they know what they're doing." Emma said, her hand nervously smoothing out her blonde hair as she didn't really know the legitimacy of her words. When they'd said they would need someone's insurance to cover Harmony….Emma had done the only thing she could think of. She'd called Harmony's home number, and spent an hour on the answering machine begging them to take pity on their adopted daughter and come to the hospital on the off chance that they hadn't stopped Harmony's health care insurance. They hadn't. and what's more…they'd even come to the hospital.

Yes, Austin and Janice were also in the waiting room, barely acknowledging everyone else's presence. Janice sat on the opposite side of Austin the empty waiting room, completely fixed on her Blackberry. Austin had shifty eyes that were moving from thing to thing, person to person…and they finally rested on Melody.

His mind immediately made the connection she was Katherine's twin, the one she'd talked about…and yet, there was something…disturbing about the way she stared back at him. As though…she knew him and was completely ready to rip out his throat. Janice felt the same feeling when she looked up at Melody. Both adults though, remained completely quiet, not uttering a word to each other or to the children.

Suddenly, without warning, the doors to the waiting room swung open, revealing two doctors and a nurse holding a clipboard. Everyone's eyes immediately went up to the doors—everyone, besides Tommy, who woke up and started to cry. Tommy, you see, was blind. With the loss of his sight though, came extra sensitive hearing…and loud noises usually scared him, since he had no idea who might be causing them.

"Tom-Tom, it's alright. It was just the door. Okay?" Emma said in a soothing tone, letting her little brother scramble in her lap to hide himself away in her shirt. Emma sighed; at this rate, he'd never be normal. Shaking those thoughts from her head though, she looked up at the doctors with nervous anticipation.

"Thanks to the amount of blood you donated to your…er, um, _sister_, we managed to give her a transfusion and got her stable enough to see that she didn't stab her heart—thankfully, she missed by about an inch or so and pierced the muscle above. But…" The Doctor, or as his name tag said, Dr. Schwartz, trailed off, not knowing how to break the news to the family. Thankfully, his assistant, Dr. Froude picked up for him.

"She's in a coma though, and we've got her on life support, for now. But, in the mean time since she's in a coma, and we need that room for more seriously injured patients…we need you to sign off if you're going to keep her on life support so we can move her to another room, or to pull the plug." Dr. Schwartz had no trouble saying all this to the parents and friends, and sibling. He once worked in a big hospital in New York City, so he'd done this countless times.

"Here. Sign there if you want to keep her on life support or here if you're going to pull the plug." The nurse said busily, handing the clipboard over to Austin. Janice leaned over in her chair with raised brows, looking over Austin's stiff shoulder and at the paper.

Melody, after a whispered conversation with Emma on what 'pull the plug' meant, stared icily at Harmony's once adopted parents. Her blue eyes stared both their brown ones down, almost as though she was daring them to kill her sister—which they definitely would have done, if they didn't have a teenage princess with a powerful family (and trident) at her disposal. Both adults in the room suddenly felt an immense, scary feeling overtake them at the thought of being zapped to death by a trident—or murdered by Ariel's bare hands.

Silently, Austin signed off his signature on the sheet, before handing it off the Janice wordlessly, who also signed and handed it back up to the nurse, who in turn handed it to the doctors, who in turn said that they could see Harmony in an hour or so.

"I have to go back home and tell my parents. There's nothing more I can do here." Melody said quietly to Emma, who looked down at her faded converse and nodded once. Yes, Melody did have to get home…but how? It's not like Emma was a witch who could zap Melody back to her home. Wait, home! That's it!

"Here, go to that hallway and use my bracelet. Kat said it would always take me home…so maybe if you use it, it'll take _you_ home." Emma whispered with a tired earnest in her voice, slipping her bracelet onto Melody's wrist. The girls didn't hug, didn't cry, didn't do a thing as Melody nodded once and stood up. Though, Susie had a bunch of questions as to why Melody was going to the hallway, and Tommy had stopped hiding and was now talking about Thomas the Train.

Wordlessly, Melody stepped into the barely lighted hallway. The faster she got out of this world, the better. It gave her the willies knowing that people died in the place she was in—or rather, were _dying_. Plus this entire town that Harmony lived in seemed so…compressed. Like, there was no breathing room.

Taking in a deep breath, Melody tugged at her bracelet and went home.


	80. Relief Mingled with Heart Wrenching Sobs

Home though, wasn't bustling with activity as it usually was, at least to Melody. Oh sure, there were servants running from here to there, fetching things, talking in murmured voices to one another…but Melody didn't _see_ that. Or hear it, or think about it, or…anything really. Her vision was blurry with trying to keep in her tears in so long, as she walked quickly to her parent's room. She took no notice of the quiet odd murmurs of the servants.

Why Princess Melody was wearing Harmony's clothes, the servants wondered. Why had their Queen locked herself in her chambers, and refused to come out? Where was Harmony—and why had there been crying the night before? What had happened?

Melody tentatively raised her hand up to her parents door, shaking with fear, though she didn't know why. Closing her eyes and trying to steady herself, she knocked once on the heavy oak, though still somehow carved beautifully, double doors of her parents room. She waited.

There was no answer.

Biting her lip, Melody tried knocking on the door a second time, this time a little louder. This time, there was the answer of something being thrown against the door and the words 'go away' could be heard, muffled. Tired from staying up, Melody's shoulders slumped as she knocked a third time, and finally spoke in a tiny, but still clear voice.

"Mommy? Daddy? It's me. Melody." Why the girl felt suddenly ten years younger, she didn't know. She just knew she wanted someone to hug her, to tell her she didn't have to act like an adult anymore, to tell her it was alright, everything would be alright, as though she'd had some horrible nightmare.

One of the oak doors creaked open slowly, the figure behind them making sure they only opened as far as one's eye could see. It was a bright blue eye that looked out of the doors, and it was a bright blue eye that suddenly went colossal.

Without warning, Melody was suddenly pulled from waiting outside of the door of her parents room, to inside in a fluid movement, with the door shutting behind her softly. If the girl was scared by this, she didn't show it as she looked up with tired blue eyes at her mother.

"Oh Melody." Were the only words Ariel could utter out, before hugging her daughter as close as possible to herself. Tears fell down her cheeks and they fell onto her daughter's black head of hair. "Oh, my sweet baby. My little girl." Ariel whispered, hugging Melody so tightly the voice in the back of her head wondered if the girl could breathe or not.

"Mo-Mommy. I-I was so sc-scared." Melody whispered, her arms wrapping around her mother as she let herself finally cry. She'd been holding it all in, she'd been acting like a strong adult…but now, now that her mother was here, holding her, comforting her, she couldn't hold back her tears.

To say that this went on with both mother and daughter crying for quite some time would be the understatement of the century. Finally, when Ariel had stopped crying is when she noticed her daughter's own tears. Gently guiding the girl towards the bed, Ariel let her blue eyes search every inch of her baby's exhausted body, checking to make sure that she hadn't gotten hurt.

"Shh Melody." Ariel soothed, sitting on her bed next to her daughter and letting the girl curl up in her lap, as though she was still three and had a terrible nightmare. "What happened to your arm sweetheart?" Ariel's soft, gentle voice said, as Melody cried harder, burying her face into her mother's nightgown.

"Th-They to-took out a lot-a lot of bloo-blood. Ther-there was a-a needle…it hurt…Har-Harmony nee-needed it though…I-I gave her two-two pints." Melody sobbed out, her voice muffled by her mother's nightgown. Ariel did a quick, mental conversion of the system of measurements used on land to the one used in the sea—for it was the sea one she was the most comfortable understanding—and then she was appalled and alarmed at how much blood Melody had given.

"You did a brave thing, my darling." Brave and stupid thing, Ariel's mind said mentally, but not wanting to upset the girl anymore, she refrained from the last word. That's when the thought of Harmony finally registered in her mind. With a pumping heart, and eyes that were suddenly full of energy Ariel sat Melody up and made the girl look straight at her. "What happened to Harmony?" Ariel's voice was a scared calm, the kind of calm one can only reach after they've long passed panic and distressed tones.

"The-the doc-doctors sai-said that she did-didn't stab her hear-heart. She missed…sh-she stabbed the mu-muscle on top her heart. Bu-but she lost a lot of blo-blood. She-she's…she's in a coma Mom-Mommy. She's on-only aliv-alive becau-because a mach-machine is keep-keeping her alive." Here Melody couldn't take it anymore, and she bawled again, hiding her face into her mother's nightgown.

Ariel's face turned pale from fear. Coma? Her daughter, the girl she'd sworn to love and protect since the first day she'd seen her beautiful big blue eyes, was in a coma?! What if she died?! What would happen then?! Her entire life was depending on a _**machine**_?! What if the machine stopped working—or worse, Harmony lost the will to live?! What if she never woke up?! What if she died, and Ariel would never know because Emma had no way of coming back without that stupid bracelet that Melody now had!

"You haven't called me 'Mommy' since you were seven years old." Ariel's soft voice startled even herself, as it pulled her from her thoughts, and made her re-focus on Melody. "It'll be alright Melody; don't worry my sweet little darling. It'll all be alright…" How could Ariel be sure that it'd be alright though? Her daughter was millions of eons—or so it felt—away from her, hooked up to a machine that could break! Didn't all machines break at some point? Like, the new printing press that Mr. Gerald had in his shop of books—that had broken down numerous times! And now, her daughter, her baby, her Harmony's life was in the fate of a machine. How wonderful (sarcasm).

"Shh, go to sleep, alright honey? Here, you can go to sleep right here. Don't worry, my precious pearl, I'll be right here for you. Always." Ariel whispered, her throat closing up as she took off the converse Melody was wearing—so much like the converse that Harmony wore—and gently tucked her baby into the sheets of her large (meant for two people since it was the master chamber) bed.

For now, she had only one daughter. It felt like one half of her heart was re-mending herself…but it felt like the other half still lay in shattered pieces. And those shattered pieces, are why her eyes were twice their normal size due to the amount of crying she'd been doing, and why her face would probably be permanently red from now on.

As Melody finally fell asleep in her parents' bed, Ariel sadly watched her. Brushing off Melody's tears, Ariel felt her own welling inside her eyes, and like they'd been doing for so long now, they fell down her cheeks. Drop by drop they fell onto the sheets of her bed, as Ariel tried hard not to sob. A warm presence of hands holding her finally gave Ariel the thing she'd been wanting to do for so long now.

She curled up into said owner's waiting arms, and let her heart wrenching sobs of pain overtake her.


	81. Pain and Suffering equal Revelations

"Fuck off Serene-y." Coral didn't groan this out as she pulled the pillow over her head tightly, no, she ordered it. The tiny mermaid had been on her case since Coral had woken up—and refused at all costs to come of her room. Which, suckishly for her, was also the room she and her girl cousins all shared.

"I'm going to tell on you for saying a bad word if you don't come with me." Serene taunted, pushing back her dirty blonde hair that was, of course, coming undone from the pony tail her mother had put it in that morning.

"Serene-y, I'm not in the mood. Please, just leave me alone." Coral said softly, in a tone she never used with her cousins. A pleading tone. Since she was the third oldest, and oldest of the merchildren, it never occurred to her that she had to plead; they should just follow her orders.

"You know, _Harmony _wouldn't be such a joy killer." Serene grumbled, her red tail flicking bubbles as she stayed up in the water. But her words did something to Coral, something that just made her…snap. Sitting up in her bed, she threw the pillow angrily across the room as she faced her smallest cousin with bright angry green eyes.

"Harmony is dead, you idiot! She freaking killed herself last night! She stabbed herself Serene, she's dead, so don't even think that Harmony is alive!" Coral yelled, her voice angrily steely as her flashing green eyes stared down her smallest cousin. Serene whimpered, unaccustomed to being yelled at as she slowly looked into her cousin's eyes.

"Tha-that's not true. Harmony is just…sick. That's all. She'll be better and come back to play with me later." Serene said softly, repeating the same thing her Aunts and Mother had told her when she'd asked if Harmony and Melody were going to come down to Atlantica today.

"Sick." Coral scoffed angrily. "Yeah, she's sick alright. Sick of _living_. She's fucking dead Serene, get that through your stupid little head already! The adults just told you that because they know that you're a baby and you'd start to cry! I saw her kill herself last night Serene, do you understand?! Kill herself, as in, she committed suicide by stabbing her heart, and then she fucking died! She's never, ever, ever, ever going to come back down to Atlantica, and you know what? It's all your fault." Coral's deadly voice yelled, as Serene actually backed up a little bit, having never seen her cousin this mad before.

"Wh-what did I do?" Serene whispered softly, her voice a pathetic whimper as she wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she was going to cry—actual tears this time.

"You told everyone where she was at night, and then she got in trouble with Aunt Ariel, and then guess what? Aunt Ariel hit her and then Harmony killed herself! Grow up already Serene, that's what really happened!" Coral could have screamed it out because she was so mad. Why she was mad, she had no clue, but she knew that she was furious with Serene for hoping Harmony was alive.

"Darwin doesn't think so. And neither do I." Serene said, her little chin raising up in defiance to Coral's words, though she knew after this she was going to swim straight to her Mommy and cry.

"Darwin isn't real damnit! He's just a stupid toy Serene, see?! He's. Not. Real!" Coral yelled out, grabbing the damned stuffed seahorse from Serene and ripping off its head. Serene screamed out in pain as Coral threw the head, and the body separately at her.

"She's dead Serene, the sooner you get that through your stupid, damned, fucked up, babyish brain the better! Harmony is DEAD! And it's your entire fucking fault!" Coral yelled at her cousin as loud as she could, not care if anyone heard. Let the entire world hear, for all she cared!

And apparently, the entire world did hear. Or at least, her Aunt Andrina, Mother, and little brother heard. Her Aunt Andrina and Mother stood open mouthed, staring at a hysterically sobbing Serene, a fuming Coral, _and_ a now deceased Darwin. Cori, who was only one year Coral's junior, gave her a sarcastic thumbs up and mouthed the word 'nice' to her, before swimming off to wherever he was going.

"Alright young lady, we're going to have a little talk." Attina said finally, regaining composure quickly as she grabbed Coral tightly by her bruised wrist and dragged her out of the room, and away from a hysterically crying Serene. Mouthing 'sorry' to Andrina quickly with a grimace, Andrina only replied with a shrug, knowing that what Coral had seen the night before had shaken her to the very core of her young soul.

"Let GO!" Coral yelled, as she was dragged along the palace by her mother, as though she was still a child—which at thirteen she definitely _wasn't_. Attina ignored her demands, rolling her eyes at Coral who struggled uselessly against her mother's grip.

Attina finally did let go of Coral's aching wrist when she pushed the girl into her room, and shut the thick shell door behind her. No one would be able to hear anything—the walls and door were soundproof.

"This is stupid. I'm not a kid." Coral's voice was icy to her mother, as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes narrowed on Attina, angrily flashing as her nostrils kept flaring to keep her anger in check—which wasn't really working out for her at the moment.

"Why did you say that to your cousin?" Attina asked simply, going to the very root of the problem instead of dancing around the subject. There was no time for that, not after what Coral had seen and done in the past twenty four hours.

"She has to grow up _sometime_." Was all Coral icily answered to her mother.

"Coral, Serene is what, six? She's still a baby—there's plenty of time for her to grow up. You though, _you're _the oldest. _You_ should know better because like it or not, your more grown up than her." Attina's calm reason infuriated Coral, who wished she had powers like Harmony so flames could be shooting up her arms angrily.

"I'm. Not. The. Oldest." Coral said through clenched teeth. Attina raised a brow, but said nothing as she waited for her daughter to finish. "Harmony is older than me by a year and three months. And since she's now dead, Melody is the oldest. But I'm not, and I'll never be—unless Melody also decides life isn't worth living and stabs her heart." Coral's tone was angry….but there was something underneath it that Attina could just barely distinguish. Pain.

"This isn't about Serene bothering you, is it? It's about what happened last night." Though it actually happened in the morning—it felt like the night because it'd been so dark. "What happened to Harmony…you have to understand sweetheart…she's only fourteen and she's been scarred in _so_ many tortuous ways. She's been beaten, she's been locked in a cold, desolate dungeon—twice—she's been shunned numerous times by both her adopted and real family, she's been kicked out, she's been handed up by her own sister…and, probably the most horrific of them all, she watched the boy she grew up with and loved die right before her eyes, and even though she's a witch, she couldn't do a thing to change it. Last night...when your Aunt Ariel was yelling at her…it must have brought back so many terrible memories…she just, couldn't handle it anymore. A person can only take so much pain…" Attina was lost within her own world right now, sighing softly to herself and shaking her head every now and then.

"Mom?" Coral's soft, broken voice asked, as she pulled her tail up to her shells and hugged it tight. Attina, startled, jerked at the sound of her daughter's voice before she was brought back to the present. "Why…why is her life so bad? I mean, she's a witch, can't she just make things better?" Coral's thirteen year old reason made Attina smile sadly at her daughter and shake her head, as she wrapped her arm around the girl.

"Being a witch is one of her problems though sweetie. Actually, no, never mind that. I think her main problem is that…she doesn't know _who_ she is. A witch, a princess, a normal teenager, a little girl, an adult…and all of that is the root of her problem. And last night…what she'd been holding back for so long, finally just collapsed on her and she….she…" Attina couldn't bring herself to say 'stabbed'. It was too hard to know that the once pink, adorable baby wrapped in a soft blanket that Attina had looked down at as she held her very first niece—could be dead.

"There's a lot of blood in people." Coral said quietly, before curling up in her mother's arms and crying. Her cousin was dead, she'd ruined Serene's favorite thing in the world, she knew that once all of the passed over Attina _would_ pull out her new belly button ring…and to top it all off…

iShe also didn't know _who _she was.

* * *

**Just thought you would like to see how Coral is faring with all of this--because you know, it does suck that she saw Harmony stab herself. Okay, contest time! Inside this chapter, there is a line from the book-made-movie 'The Outsiders'. Anyone who guesses it correctly...get's something really cool--aka, i don't know what the cool thing is. Everyone can participate in this contest, though all answers must be in your REVIEWS. Haha, i'm forcing you to review! **

**Ps. The movie the outsiders is on Youtube.....**

***special mentions* **

**DayDreamer747, (you know, the person who won the story name contest) is the one who gave me the idea for Melody going to Harmony's world--because that was one of her prizes, to choose something you want to happen in a chapter. So props to DayDreamer747**

***angry mentions***

**XJADERAINX WHY HAVEN"T YOU POSTED IN 11 DAYS?!! I"M SO MAD I COULD MURDER DARWIN--AGAIN! POST!**

***happy mentions* **

**I'm such a dork. The maximum for our historic event diary entry for writing class (i'm forced to take writing class as a freshman--not that I don't mind. we get to listen to our ipods in class, and I feel smart 'cuz i can actually write a story!) was 500 words. I asked my teacher if it was okay if we went a little bit higher than 500. She asked me how much was a little bit higher. I told her 1, 700. She laughed, thinking I was kidding, 'till I handed in my 5 paged TYPED NEATLY diary entry. I got extra credit :D...and now my entire class hates me because their stories were compared to mine. Oops! **

***random mentions* **

**Looking for a good book to read? Check out the Mortal Instruments Series, or Maximum Ride, OR if you want a murder mystery, Pretty Little Liars. **

***uber random mentions***

**What if your name really WAS John-Jacob-Jingle-Heimer-Smit? **

**also....**

**WHAT IF THE HOOKIE POOKIE REALLY IS WHAT IT"S ALL ABOUT?! **

**Don't forget about the contest!**


	82. Days Pass By Oh So Slow

Time goes by so slow. Everything suddenly seemed so…hard for everyone nowadays. Normal day to day tasks were met with the thoughts of 'I wonder if Harmony will ever get to do this again'. If someone was eating a cookie, they'd suddenly stop halfway, remembering how much of a sweet tooth Harmony had. Had. No one knew if she was alive or dead—had became the normal thing for them to say about her.

Ariel grieved in a heart breaking way. She would stare out at the sea for long periods of time, wondering if her daughter was alright or not. She fell into Eric's strong arms any chance she got and cried herself asleep. Her dreams were memories now—memories of everytime she'd done something awful to her daughter. Something horrifying. Something even she, the person who'd inflicted it, recoiled in fear at. Something a fourteen year old girl had gone through. Her mind would continually play back her last words to her dying daughter, 'Harmony, what are you planning?' Not 'I love you' or 'I'll always be here to catch you when you fall', no it was 'Harmony what are you planning.' That's what killed her a little every day—and so, she fell into a deep, deep, depression and….she returned to cutting.

Eric spent his days either trying to run a kingdom, trying to comfort his heart broken wife, trying to get his daughter to come out of her room—and all the while, he tried to assuage his own aching heart. The last thing he'd said to his daughter, he'd said in a furious voice, angry at her for sneaking out and sent her to her room, with guards posted outside. He would give anything to take that one moment back, to just tell the girl that it was alright, and he understood her pain—though he knew he never could. When Melody had come back…it been like his birthday (at night, in his room with Ariel…), and any other amazing holiday that he'd forgotten. He'd been so…happy that she was back, that she was safe, that he could relax, if only a little—until he realized that Harmony was in a deep coma, and the only thing keeping her alive was a machine.

Melody locked herself in her room. No, actually, she _barricaded_ herself in her room. For a girl that had never had to do a day of hard labor in her life, she was incredibly strong. What had she said last to Harmony? Something about having a good show. Those were her last words to her sister. Her sister, who wanted so desperately to find a way to stop hurting…her sister, who had been taking Anti Depressants—that apparently didn't work to well—was now…gone. In a coma, far away, in a place she couldn't think of at the moment because it scared her. She stayed in a catatonic state, staring at the walls of her room silently, not understanding how all of this could have happened. Those blaring noises of an…ambulance…the blood falling over her sister, Harmony passing out…a needle being stuck in her arm as some stranger who claimed to be a nurse took out her blood to give to her sister. It was so…hard…it hurt…she didn't know what to do anymore. She would eat her food in silence, staring at her four walls with puffy red eyes, wondering sullenly, what Harmony would have done in a situation like this.

Coral didn't leave her bed. She didn't leave her room. She barely ate anything, her depression to thick to feel the absence of food. Her favorite cousin…the knife…the sound of her sobs…the blood…oh all the blood! Blood was a dark red, scary color that spilled out of her body, and fell drop by drop onto the sad. The last thing she'd said to her cousin? She couldn't remember, and that hurt the most. Coral and Melody had a tentative friendship before Harmony—both girls knew that the one year difference in their ages was huge, and therefore they were only friends as far as they could throw each other. Then, Harmony had come, and erased all the tension with one laugh. She'd treated Coral, though a year her junior, as though she was fourteen too, and never once gave a second thought about it. And, with one move, she'd stabbed her heart. And now, she was dead. Gone…forever. The girl who was constantly in trouble for something…was gone. Her cousin, her friend…the girl she actually looked up to….gone…forever…why was forever such a long time?

The royal family of Atlantica all dealt with the pain of Harmony stabbing herself…differently. Serene, thanks to Coral, knew now that Harmony had stabbed herself and might not make it through. And also thanks to Coral, she was spending her days without Darwin—because there was nothing to do about Darwin's head. It was ripped too badly, it was unfixable—which drove Serene to hysterics. All of Coral's aunts, and her mother including, showed no signs of things being different. At night, their tears fell onto their husbands, for the lost life of the fourteen year old. But, during the day, the children were looked after, taken to school, smiled at…they were trying to make the days seem as normal as possible. Triton kept things calm in his palace, though there were times when he'd find his beautiful wife singing something softly to herself, as her fingers danced across the piano keys. Athena was hit hard with the fact her granddaughter was in a coma—news travels fast when you have a small red crab—sometimes a tear or two would fall down her face when someone wasn't around for the granddaughter she'd lost.

And, finally, last but in no way least, Emma. The girl, quite literally, was falling over herself from exhaustion. She used spent from 8:00 every morning to 5:00 every afternoon watching her best friend, scared that something would happen to her. The nurses would have to practically drag her out of her friend's room—until finally they gave up and just let Emma stay as long as she wanted with Harmony. Emma would stare at her sister for hours, hoping, wishing, wanting, praying that Harmony would wake up from her coma. Every day Emma battled, begged, pleaded, with her adopted parents not to pull the plug just yet. The girl knew that she had only till the end of the week till her adopted parents signed over the papers and took Harmony off of life support. It was an exhausting battle, and sometimes, Emma would get annoyed for doing this…until she'd look over at her best friend on the bed.

Harmony was just sleeping peacefully, as though she'd never stabbed herself. An IV tube ran into a vein in her arm, and she was also hooked up to a respirator, making sure she was breathing at all times. The itchy hospital blankets only went up to her waist, covering up the lower part of her hospital gown. She seemed…calm now, but in the hours before she'd gotten into this coma, it been one whirlwind of activity. Still, Emma sat by her friend every day, watching as people came in and put balloons, flowers, stuffed animals, in Harmony's hospital room.

The end of the week came too soon. It was Friday. Harmony had been in a coma for five full days now, showing no signs of waking up. Emma was arguing in a low voice with Harmony's adopted parents, pleading with them to wait just another day until they pulled the plug on her. Janice and Austin though were tired of hearing this excuse, and quite literally wanted Harmony to either die, or wake up. Those were the only two options in their minds for the girl.

While Emma argued in a low tone with Harmony's adopted parents, the girl on the bed's eyes slowly opened, a soft yawn escaping her lips. No one heard it but her, but that was alright. The girl slowly sat up in the rock hard bed she was in, her eyes fluttering open even more and wincing at the unaccustomed light. Her blue eyes roamed the room for a moment, before finding someone she was familiar with. Emma. Another soft yawn escaped her lips again, as she rubbed at her eyes for a moment, before letting her lips open as her eyes caught sight of a balloon.

"Who the fuck gave me a Princess balloon?"


	83. The Most Important Decision of Your Life

The tired voice made all three people in the room swivel around and stare open mouthed at the girl lying on the bed. Harmony's eyes were slowly opening, as she tried to blink off the last waves of sleepness. For once, she was waking up to the sound of _beep…beep…beep…_where was she? Why was the bed she was in so hard? Where was Ariel? Ariel…why did Harmony feel like someone slapped her in the face at her mother's name….oh god!

"Kat!" Harmony's mind started to spin a thousand miles per hour as she looked up at Emma, who was suddenly right beside the hospital bed. "You were in a coma for like, five whole days! Omg, I was so scared that you weren't gonna pull through and that you were going to stay a vegetable forever!" Emma's voice said, going superfast as relief flooded her system. Kathy was awake…now her parents couldn't pull the plug!

"Well, at least _we_ knew that you were going to pull through. " A silky sweet voice caught Harmony's attention as she looked up to see…Austin? Her adopted father? What? What the hell….?!

"Do you want to eat something…er…um…_honey_?" Janice's voice made Harmony shiver unintentionally. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, how forced it seemed.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You guys were—" Emma's spluttering voice was suddenly silenced by Janice's hand, as the woman made sure the girl said not a word about what they'd been planning to do.

"Wha-what happened? Why are you guys…_here_? Why am I _here_?" Harmony could remember Ariel slapping her…and then, it was like her brain was blocked. She couldn't remember anything after that…it was so dark.

"Ice Queen slapped you…and then she tried to take it back cuz she was really sorry…but you said you didn't want to face the pain anymore…and then…you stabbed…yourself. I-I couldn't let you just die…so…Melody came with me home….and we called 911….and she gave you a lot of her blood so you could live…and then you've been in the hospital for like, five days. In a coma." Emma explained softly, as Janice shook her hand and muttered something under her breathe about being bit.

Harmony's eyes went collasal as suddenly the block on her brain was gone. She could see it all now! The club, the sand…her crying…the knife…the pain….oh the pain! But…"No damn it! I'm supposed to be dead! This wasn't supposed to happen! I wasn't supposed to be alive!" Harmony's voice would have risen to a shriek if she hadn't been so unused to talking from being asleep the past five days.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not dead. That way…_.we _can be a family now. Your real family is too cruel to be raising you anyway." Austin was hoping that this would work, he really was. He'd forgotten that since Katherine was an adopted child, every year the adoption agency went through her files and asked her if she was okay with living with her adopted family. In the past years it'd been easy to bribe her with candy or threaten her with a merciless beating to say that she was fine with living with her adopted family, and that they were great parents…but now with her gone, and the adoption agency watching Janice and Austin very closely now…well, they needed Harmony to get out of this scrape.

"Y-You want me back?" Harmony's whispered voice asked, her eyes growing wide and her heart starting to beat fast. Not angry fast…more like…happy fast. She could have a family! Maybe this time her family would be like one of those Brady Bunch Families, you know, really good!

"Yes we do. And we'll be a great family to you this time. We promise." Janice was a smooth liar. Her voice was motherly sweet, though inside she was recoiling from the freak child who'd killed her biological son.

Harmony's blue eyes looked at the sincere faces of her adopted parents…and then at Emma's face, which was full of fear…for her. One part of her was saying that she should go for the whole 'family' idea…the other said not to trust the people who'd been known to use threatening technique's on her.

"H-How so-sober are you?" Harmony wished that she could make her voice strong, and that it wouldn't shake so much. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It was a test, of sorts, that she was using on her adopted parents. To see if they had really changed…if they really wanted her back.

"Um…" Austin was caught off guard by the question, not knowing how to answer it. If he said a month that would be too much, but if he said a week that would be too little. What to do…what to do…

"Sober enough to know that you can't live with your real family anymore. You _have_ to stay with us." Janice's tone was still motherly, but she couldn't really repress the hint of threatening in her voice.

Harmony was wary of her adopted parents, as her brows pulled together in hard thinking. Ariel had hit her…but Janice and Austin had too…what family did she belong to? Thinking it through, Harmony tried to imagine whose comforting arms she'd rather be in….and it suddenly became awfully clear to her whose arms she'd rather be in. Ryan's.

But Ryan wasn't here. Ryan was dead. Ryan was gone…because of her. Harmony's heart started pumping at breakneck speed as she winced at the horrible memory. The pain…his body…her pain…the knives…his fist…her black eye…her room…things helplessly destroyed…disowned…curling into a ball…the pain…oh the pain! Harmony's memory somehow transported her to a different time.

Her body was smaller, her clothes looser since they were hand me down pajamas. Her red hair falling down her back in knots, as she curled into a little ball on her bed and hugged her teddy bear tightly. The fighting would stop any minute now, her mind said. Any minute now the fighting would stop and they'd go to sleep, like they always did after they drank. Everything would be better soon. Everything would be better…

A loud, wincing noise pounded into the girl's ear drums as her head fearfully snapped up, shock and surprise in her eyes. Her door was open all the way, and in the doorway stood two adults who smelled suspiciously of beer. Anger was in their eyes as the little girl gulped, her small heart pumping fast in her tiny chest in fear.

"What are you doing still awake!" A loud, male drunken voice roared, his huge hands gripping the girl's shoulders tightly and shaking her…hard.

"It's past your bedtime!" A female voice screeched into the girl's ear, as her tiny eyes filled with tears from the yelling. Not that she wasn't unaccustomed to being yelled at, because she was, no, her eyes filled with tears because of the grip on her arms.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I w-wasn't ti-tired." The little girl whispered, tears falling down her eyes at the grip became tighter and she was shook harder.

"Stop stuttering and crying! No one understands you!" The male voice screeched again, as the little girl felt her tiny body being shaken even more as the grip became almost arm breaking. Through her blurry tears, she could see the outline of her now eight year old brother at her doorway. He was clutching the door post so tightly that his fingers were as pale as his face. He was scared for his little sister.

"I-I'm so-sorry." The little girl stuttered again, as two voices screeched and roared into her ears. She was so scared, everything was so large, she was so small, what could she do? Tears fell down her tiny face as her wide blue eyes were wild with panic. Her small heart pumped and pumped wildly, equally afraid of what was to become of her. She tried to squirm away, but the drunken adults did nothing but roar even more and yell louder! Her head switched form here to there, trying to find some way to leave this room, when all of a sudden, BAM!

Harmony felt herself be pulled back into the real world, as she panted and sweat poured down her face from the horrible memory of her first beating. She felt a cold hand placed on her wrist, and her fearful blue eyes looked up to see…the two drunken adults. She felt as though she was six again, and cowering in fear as she felt blow after blow reach her small body. She felt the pain, she felt the tears crusting over in her eyes, she couldn't do anything to stop them…except, this time, she could.

Looking up at both her adopted parents, Harmony managed to sit up, and swallow down the big gulp of spit that had accumulated as a result of fear in her mouth. Her shoulders squared off, as her blue eyes became full of that famous crystal fire rage.

"I lost my entire childhood because of you two." Harmony said, a wild fire suddenly in her voice as her teeth clenched together in unmistakable anger. "I couldn't go to school because my bruises were too bad. I had to lie to my teachers about how I got a black eye, so they wouldn't call you and you wouldn't beat me. I had to tell my friends I was sick and couldn't go to birthday parties because I could barely move from the beating _you_ gave me the night before. In thirteen years, I never got to eat cake on my birthday." Harmony's voice was deadly, not cracking whatsoever though tears had formed in her eyes.

"Normally, I would just forget that. Except for the fact it was my birthday, my stupid _birthday_. You want me to come back, after all you did to me? After all the nights I spent curled in a little ball, wishing that I was never born. After all the days I spent with Ryan outside in the woods because you two were inside, drunk and fighting, _again_. You know what? No. I'm not going to believe your stupid lies anymore." Harmony had tears running down her face now, but she didn't care as she stared with a crystal fire at her adopted parents. The scratchy sheets of the hospital bed were already burnt as her fingers were literally propelling a blue fire of rage out of them. "I'm going to go—to go—I don't know where I'm going to go! But at least, I'll be safer there than with you two pathetic excuses of human life." Harmony spat out the last sentence with everything she had. She spat it out for all the times she could never say it as a child.

Before Janice and Austin could say anything, before Emma could tell Harmony that she could stay with her, and before the doctors figured out that Harmony was awake and out of her coma, the girl ripped out her IV tube in her arm. Red blood bubbled and a thin stream of it fell down her arm as the needle was forcibly removed. The girl grabbed at the nose plug thing that was under her nose and also ripped it off, as the machine started to go wild and started to beep uncontrollably.

With crystal fire in her blue, wild eyes, Harmony clenched her fists and her eyes tightly, and whispered the one phrase she still somehow believed in.

"There's no place like home."


	84. Memories Fading as You Come Back to Town

Ariel walked around the palace—her palace—in a state of deep depression. Anyone that crossed her path—well, actually, no one crossed her path. All the servants watched their Queen with worried eyes; the ones that were old enough to remember how the Queen looked fourteen years ago when Harmony had first disappeared sadly shook their heads and sent her sympathetic looks that Ariel didn't see nor return.

Her little girl, her baby, her little tune…was gone. Melody was also gone, but in a different way. The girl refused to come out of her room, and no matter how many times Eric had pleaded, threatened, begged for Melody to come out, she wouldn't. A tray of food was left at her door at meal times, and afterwards when the servants would return they'd find the food half eaten. That was the only way everyone in the palace knew that their remaining princess was still alive.

For the first time in thirteen years, Ariel didn't feel up to going out to the beach. Her figure had grown increasingly thin since, in her depressive state, she barely ate a morsel—besides the food Eric forced down her throat. Her beautiful big blue eyes were still there, of course, but to look into them and see all that pain made one want to cry. Dark bags from not sleeping in days had formed under her eyes, and the skin around her eyes was puffy and probably permanently pink from all the crying she'd been doing. Her dress was a midnight blue color, the darkest color she owned, and since it was such a dark color it was usually meant for winter or for the evening. She was wearing it in spring, and during the day. Her once perfectly manicured nails were completely gone from all the chewing she'd done on them in the past few days. She tucked her red hair behind her pale ears—pale because she hadn't even looked at the sun for days—as her shoulders fell and she took another painful step forward.

What was the use in pretending everything was alright, the woman wondered. For exactly twelve years, she'd lived out a life without her second daughter, telling herself that the girl was probably fine wherever she was. Melody had runaway when she was twelve…it felt as though the fragile world Ariel had put up since Harmony's disappearance suddenly faded away, and she was left with a more vulnerable her. Of course, her twelve year old Melody had survived and at the time, holding the weak with exhaustion girl in her arms, Ariel had felt relief. But that relief was shortly lived, because then she realized, she still didn't have Harmony. Melody was safe, and Harmony was missing. Missing for eleven years at the time. Missing from Ariel's life.

Harmony had somehow come back though when she was thirteen, and Ariel had been too happy to cry. Her tears of joy had come later that day, when Eric had set the girl in her new room, on the new bed that had been waiting patiently for her since she'd been born. Her relief that her daughter was back had been almost staggering for her, and she knew it was the same for Eric. But…the girl wasn't what they'd expected. They'd expected a teenager who might not understand at first, but then would accept it all and they'd be one happy family. They weren't. Harmony had clung to her old self, to the part of her that was still Kathy. She'd cut herself to take away the almost unbearable pain of leaving behind everything she'd ever known. She tried to fit into her knew name, and she tried to be a good princess….but she was doing it all alone, and finally, the fragile wall she'd put up had become shattered and she ran.

For two months afterwards, she was on strict 'castle arrest' as the girl had jokingly put it, a pun on the term 'house arrest'. Her injuries were horrible, and sometimes she'd overstrain herself and as a result almost injure herself further. Ariel had been like a worried mother hen to the girl, always fussing about her injuries. And then…the girl had suddenly been better, and she was able to walk around more easily. That's when her parents took her, and her alone, on a small sailing trip to see her Grandfather. He had said he could, with his trident, send her back home, if she wished. Ariel had given the girl a sad smile, and tried to hide the pain in her eyes at the thought of losing her daughter. The girl had contemplated the answer for a few minutes, before sighing and coming up with an answer. She was home. That answer had made Ariel feel like she was on top of the world.

But, not for long. Harmony sank into a depression of never being able to see her home again. It wasn't a deep depression, but it was something awful that Ariel had hated. Then, she'd met John, and it was like the girl had just…become a sun again. She was bright, eager, happy…until she thought she'd killed a boy. Things turned from bad, to ugly, to worse, and worse, until finally Harmony was again bruised and beaten—and then, she'd come up with a plan. Live like a divorced kid, go back and forth. Ariel had hated the idea from the start. But, she'd lived with it until…until that valentine's day.

Harmony was hysterical—again, and once again, she was scared and wanted to curl into her mother's arms and forget all of this. But Ariel had been afraid. She knew Harmony would never understand, but she'd been terrified that the girl would somehow be hurt during the night. So, she'd sent her daughter once again to the dungeon, in hopes that the girl would be safe for the night, and not hurt. Sometime in the morning, Ariel had relented with her husband and daughter and brought back Harmony to her room, but she was still fearful of what might happen to the girl. And her fears weren't far off. Indeed, the guards caught two idiotic young men with a blindfold, a gag, a sword, and a rope trying to climb up the trellis to Melody's dressing room—which they thought was Harmony's room. Ariel shuddered to think about what they might have done with Harmony, had they not been caught. The punishment for both men was swift and silent exile from the kingdom of Shireland, and if the men dared step one foot into the border of the kingdom, they would be immediately executed on the grounds that they were trying to kill someone that night. Though, Ariel's fears may have been realized that night, her daughter didn't understand why her mother would be so terrible to her—and Ariel didn't have the heart to tell the girl that someone had wanted to kill her.

Things passed, and Ariel made the worst mistake of her life. She'd thrown her daughter out in the middle of winter, with nothing but a thin nightgown on her back and a stuffed animal in her arms. Nothing else. No food, no money, no actual clothes, no home, no future, nothing. Three days later, Ariel discovered her daughter's body in an old trail that led to the stables. The girl had been positively delirious once she regained some consciousness. She kept going on and on about her brother, and even once about some old pet goldfish that had died when she'd forgotten to feed it. If Ariel felt any pain for that goldfish, she didn't show it as it didn't matter because Harmony was sick. Finally, once the girl was tucked into bed, in a warm new nightgown, and her skin had regained some color to it, she'd slowly regained actual consciousness, and was able to tell everyone that a raccoon had bit her.

Months had passed by since then, Ariel thought sullenly to herself. In the few past few weeks Harmony had runaway twice, cried a number of times, smoked and tried to hide the smell that was on her clothes with rose perfume (which never worked) and worst of all, now, she had tried to take her own life. And to make it all even worse, it was Ariel's fault.

Sighing, the woman shook those thoughts from her head, though she couldn't wipe off the haggard expression on her face. She realized she was still walking, as if—what had Harmony called it again? Oh yes, auto pilot. She didn't even know where she was going until she was pushing open the doors of the library. Looking sadly up, Ariel's eyes widened from surprise and shock as she put her hand over her heart and heard a tired voice say a two words.

"I'm home."


	85. You Came Back

Ariel could only stand there and stare at the girl before her. Harmony looked sickly pale, and was gripping one of the shelves tightly to keep from falling over. Her blue eyes looked up at her mother with tired amusement—before the girl swooned a little bit, no doubt dizzy from transporting herself from the hospital to the library. Dry blood ran down the length of her arm that didn't have a cast on it; but it didn't seem as though the wound was still bleeding. She was wearing some sort of nightgown that looked terribly uncomfortable because of the material it was made out of. It only reached halfway down her arms and then to her ankles. But, for the life of Ariel, she couldn't have cared less if Harmony had come back with a third eye on her forehead and an extra arm attached to her head. Her baby was home.

"Harmony!" Ariel felt her voice cry out, running to the girl at an amazingly fast speed. Clutching Harmony in her arms, Ariel didn't bother to hide her tears as she pressed the girl close to her. "Oh Harmony. I was so worried. I was so scared." Ariel whispered, her voice muffled by her tears and Harmony's hair. Harmony shook from the effort to hold back her own tears—why she had tears she didn't know, but she felt them welling up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry my little tune. I'm sorry for every time I've hurt you. I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't talk to me and tell me how you really felt. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible mother sweetheart. I'm so, so, so sorry." Ariel whispered her apology, her tears and fears making her hold Harmony deathly close to her as she let her tears flow freely from her eyes.  
Harmony's mind did a double back handspring—a painful one at that—before it finally registered Ariel's words in her mind. She'd said…sorry. Not just any sorry, or like the sorries before, no, this was a…different sorry. She'd called herself a terrible mother…she was holding her close…and _crying_! Harmony couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her mother cry freely, in her presence without caring one bit.

Tentatively, Harmony felt her shaking arms reach around her mother's waist. She never hugged her parents unless—no, actually, she just never hugged them. But now…it seemed different. Like, the right thing to do. Her arms reached around her mother…and Harmony held onto Ariel like she was a life vest, and she, a drowning victim.

"I love you so much, my little baby. I was so scared…oh Harmony, I was scared." Ariel whispered brokenly through her tears into Harmony's red hair, barely taking notice that the girl was hugging her back, tightly as she silently cried tears of her own. "I'm n-never letting go again Harmony. I'm never going to hurt you so badly again. I swear it on my life…oh Harmony!" Ariel cried, kissing nearly every available space of her daughter's face. From her nose to her forehead, Ariel couldn't leave the girl alone. Her baby…she was back. Her Harmony…her darling little Harmony…she was back, and safe.

"M-Mom." Harmony managed to choke out, her head resting against her mother's chest. It felt…oddly comforting to be in Ariel's warm, protective arms again. It felt…nice to have Ariel's warm touch, and the easiness in her voice when she said things like 'baby' or 'sweetheart'. It was so different from Janice's cold touch and how her voice is choppy when she says loving statements.

"My darling little girl." Ariel whispered to her daughter, her tears slowly drying up as she had almost no more to cry with. "Shh, don't talk honey." Ariel murmured, as she saw her daughter's mouth open to say something, before it snapped shut. "Rest a little. When you wake up we'll talk more." Ariel murmured gently, her hand stroking through the knotted red hair of her daughter. It was like a wrecking ball of relief that had hit her when she'd seen Harmony—that was the only way to describe it.

"N-No, I'm fin-fine." Harmony's muffled voice said, clutching onto her mother tightly, trying to blink off her exhaustion from traveling in between worlds. With her body not used to such stress from being in a coma so long, and still a bit nauseated from pulling out her IV, the girl knew it wasn't long before she passed out completely.

"Hush, my darling." Ariel said, sniffling back her tears of joy at being able to say that little phrase. Gently, she steered Harmony to one of the couches in the library, just for now, her mind said. She'd get Eric to move her later. "Rest baby. When you feel better we'll talk some more." Ariel murmured, putting one of the pillows behind Harmony's head. The girl didn't argue, for once, as she let her head hit the pillow and her eyes close from exhaustion.

Ariel's gentle smile and sigh of relief were directed towards her now sleeping daughter. At least her baby was finally home—and safe. Though, she wondered what happened—and wanted to have a nice, _long_ talk with the girl about why she'd tried to take her own life. Still, Ariel's mind said softly, those things could be put off, for the time being. As long as her little tune was safe in the palace, and Ariel could watch over the girl to make sure nothing happened to her—ever again.

Breaking her gaze off of Harmony, Ariel looked up towards the doors of the library when she heard them start to creak open. Why hadn't she had those awful doors replaced yet, Ariel's mind wondered, before shaking the thought off and waiting to see who would be in the library at this time.

"Ariel? I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing in here?" Eric's quiet voice asked as he stepped into view, one brow quirked questioningly to his wife's gentle smile. Smile. He hadn't seen her do that for days now….it surprised him greatly.

"I came in here completely disconsolate…and now, I can't stop smiling." Ariel said in a soft voice, her smile growing a bit wider as she tucked a strand of her daughter's red hair behind her ear.

"Ohthankgod." Eric's words came out in a rush from his mouth when he spied another red head sleeping peacefully on the couch, as though she hadn't been missing and in a coma for five days now. Making his way over to Harmony, he felt a sigh of relief escape his lips.

The girl looked thin and even asleep, haggard…and yet, Eric couldn't help but feel immense relief. Finally, some idea on where she was. Finally, she was safe. Finally.

"It hurts to smile for so long, but I can't seem to stop doing it." Ariel murmured, her words mostly directed to Eric. "My sweet, little princess…." Ariel said in a soft, loving tone to her daughter. She knew that if Harmony was awake she'd have said those words were the opposite of what described her—and Ariel would be forced to agree. But for now, with Harmony sleeping peacefully, Ariel felt like a hundred tons had been lifted from her shoulders and heart, and it was thanks to her baby.

"Here, I'll take her to her room and then get the Doctor to make sure she's alright." Eric said to his wife, who numbly nodded her head, brushing off the tears of happiness that were still on her face. Taking Eric's offered hand; she stood up off the floor and watched with gentleness in her eyes as he lifted Harmony into his arms.


	86. Anxious Tones and Devilish Smiles

"She's going to be alright, right?" Ariel's anxious voice was painful to hear in her own ears, even to her. Eric gently brought his hand over hers, a silent reminder not to be so scared, and that everything would work out in the end. It had to. For the sake of his family.

"Mhm hm. She's going to be fine, your majesty." The doctor said, listening to Harmony's heartbeat intently, trying to see if he could hear a missed beat. Throughout all of this, Harmony didn't even stir, which made the doctor wonder how tired she must really be.

"What about…her…_wound_?" Eric choose his words carefully, trying to make them form into some type of actual sentence. The doctor looked up at him a moment, his brows furrowing as Eric shared a glance with his wife, who sighed.

"She was playing around and fell on some sort of knife when she was in Atlantica, so my family had been keeping her in the sea because she fell into a coma and no one wanted to risk her hurting herself further to come back to land." Ariel explained softly, as the doctor nodded, though he didn't quite understand. Ariel's story didn't quite check out with him, but he knew better than to question his Queen.

"This is where she—ah, _fell_—on the knife." Ariel explained quietly, gently lowering down the high neckline of the hospital gown Harmony was still in. She lowered it down until finally, her fingers brushed against a neatly stitched up wound, about an inch or two away from Harmony's heart—and Harmony's flat chest, for that matter.

"Her wound is fine too. The doctor who stitched this up must have been an expert though; I've never seen a wound so perfectly stitched before!" The doctor muttered the last part mostly to himself, though Ariel and Eric both still heard it, and both shared another glance with one another.

"I guess that's all then. You're sure she's going to be fine though?" Eric sounded like his wife; he knew that by the wry smile she sent his way. But he had to know if Harmony would be alright, he _had_ to make sure.

"Oh yes your majesties, completely. She's just not used to using so much energy, but don't worry, a few days rest should do the trick and she'll be feeling better in no time." The doctor stated to his Queen and King, before giving them a polite nod, and walking out of Harmony's room.

"Ariel, why don't you get her changed into something more comfortable, and I'll see if I can get Melody out of her room?" Eric's voice smoothly murmured to his wife, his hand gently squeezing hers in reminder that she also had another daughter to attend to.

"That sounds….alright." Ariel said softly, though her focus wasn't totally on Eric. But that was alright, seeing as though his focus wasn't completely on his wife either. Both parents were worriedly staring at their daughter who turned over in her sleep—exposing a slit that exposed Harmony's backside. Eric turned red. Ariel bit her knuckle and tried hard not to laugh at his face, or how he looked in the opposite direction of Harmony's backside.

"I'll…um…uh…go see if I can get Melody to come out of her room." Eric would have used _any_ excuse to get him away from a nearly naked teenage daughter. Behind him, as he shut the door of Harmony's room, he could hear Ariel's tinkling giggles that made his face blush further.

Ariel had the hospital gown off of Harmony and had her in a more comfortable nightgown in mere minutes. Tucking the girl in, Ariel's mind wondered upon how much déjà vu this brought back to her. Different times, same place. How odd that she could just tuck her daughter in as though nothing had happened, and yet, for five days now she'd been in a deep depression because her daughter had been gone?

Shaking those morbid thoughts from her mind, Ariel kissed Harmony's scarred forehead lovingly, as only a mother who hadn't seen her child in five days because the girl had been in a coma.

"I love you, my precious little darling tune." Ariel whispered to the girl, though she knew Harmony couldn't hear a word she said because the girl was too deep in her sleep. Still, Ariel didn't care.

Walking out of Harmony's room, she went straight out into the hallway…to find a angry, flustered Eric as something hard—a shoe perhaps?—was thrown at the door of Melody's room.

"Melody, come out here this instance or I'll—" before Eric could even finish his sentence, Ariel had her hand over his mouth, cutting him off. She was a head shorter than him, so she had to stand on her tip toes just to have her eyes reach his mouth—but hey, it was better than nothing. Easily, he pried her fingers off his mouth, his face questioning what she was doing.

"If you make threats, she'll stay inside her room longer." Ariel's soft whisper stated, but getting the clearly confused look from her husband, she sighed and tried again, still up on her tip toes. "Teenagers _love_ to frustrate their parents, especially when they know that the parents can't do a thing to change that. Therefore, the angrier you get, the longer she'll spend in her room." Ariel's voice was still a whisper, but she couldn't hold herself on her tip toes any longer. She sank back down to the ground, her blue eyes looking into those of Eric's, who were thinking out the reason in her words.

"So what do you propose we do?" Eric's voice had no trace of his previous anger. Though, by that devilish smile on Ariel's face, he knew she had a plan…and he was a bit scared of it too.

"I propose you let _me _handle Melody, and _you_ expect to see her at dinner."

* * *

**I've got to make this short, because my brother is bugging me for the computer! GAH! sixteen year old's are SOOOO annoying! **

**Anyway, I hope your not too mad at me for not posting up in awhile. Been so busy! WIth only 1 computer in the house, life get's pretty wild! Plus the fact i've got an injured knee, and an injured ankle...(which both, ironically, happen to be on my left leg. It's so much fun. *sarcasm*) So, Harmony came home, the doc says she's fine, and now Ariel has the task of getting Melody out of her room? What methods will she use? What is she going to do? Ah, the answers if you review! **

**So, Anima-or something like that (sorry, not good with remembering screen names...or any names for that matter) gave me a baby dragon, because I REVIEWED her story Misunderstood Melodies, which, btdubs, IS AMAZING AND ALL OF YOU THAT HAVEN"T READ IT SHOULD READ IT!!!! Anyway, MY baby dragon's name is Eragon (yes, after the book, get over it!). She has beautiful blue scales that glisten in the sun like a thousand diamonds (for all twilight fans *ew*, my baby dragon is NOT a vampire). She likes to eat people who think their so awesome because they read a book only AFTER they find out there's going to be a movie on it (aka, all the hyper teens who read twilight and now annoy me cuz I read it before they did, you know, when they said they'd NEVER read a book about werewolves and vampires) and spaghetti (she likes the red sauce--it reminds her of blood!)! Oh, and she has these cute little wings that can barely keep her up in the air for a long time cuz their so small since she's only a baby, AND she can breathe ice AND fire on people. Ha, beat that xJadeRainx! **

**Speaking of xJadeRainx...I know i haven't reviewed the latest chapter of Ocean Heart! :*( sorry! I've been so busy! But I will do it...soon...cuz i lOVED it! I wonder if Attina really will tell Ariel about Hali's midnight adventures with Xa-Xa...**

**Also, I now have two little mermaid fanfictions lovers. One of them is Sam the sailor (also known to me as SHAM-WOW)** **from Ocean Heart and the other is Devil (who reminds me ALOT about Fang from Maximum Ride (a book)!) who is from Misunderstood Melodies!**

**REVIEW MAH STORAY OR ELSE I WILL SEND ERAGON TO EAT ALL OF YIZ AND THEN WHEN SHE BURPS OUT YA BONES, SHE'll SOMEHOW MAKE A RAINBOW CUZ SHE'S COOL LIKE THAT! **


	87. Precious Pearl's and Sistery Worry

"Melody?" Ariel's soft voice called into the room, as she tried to open the door of her daughter's room further. No such luck. The girl had moved the chest of drawers in front of the door, blocking entry to anyone who wanted to enter.

"Go away." A voice answered, and a sniffle could be heard too. Ariel sighed, and tucked a strand of her wild red hair behind her ear. She wanted to get Melody to at least come down to dinner, and then she wanted to go back and make sure Harmony was alright for the night.

"Melody, move whatever it is you have blocking this door out of the way so I can come in. And that's not a request." Ariel's voice was completely calm, with a subtle hint of annoyance to it. She knew Melody would comply; unlike Harmony, the girl had an actual fear of being in trouble.

"F-fine." Why, on earth, was her mother even here? Now? Ariel hadn't even seen Melody for the past—what?—four days? She hadn't come to her room, she hadn't tried to comfort her…what was up?

Getting up from her bed, Melody walked to her door, sulkily. Weakly, she managed to push the chest of drawers from its place in front of her door to the wall beside it. That's when the door swung widely open, and Ariel was standing in its doorway.

Instead of saying something like a mother would, Ariel just shut the door softly behind her and sat on Melody's bed, before looking up at her daughter to see if she'd do the same. Melody did, but only because she wanted to curl up in her mother's arms once again. Both mother and daughter were silent, as they both looked up and down at each other.

Melody, thankfully, had at least been eating, so she hadn't grown almost anorexic thin like Ariel. But her blue eyes were rimmed red from crying so much, and her face still had a tinge of pink to it from her last bout of tears. Her nightgown was crumpled up from not taking it off in about five days, and her usually neat, pulled back into a pony tail black hair was a mess all around her face. Still, Ariel hugged the girl in her arms tightly.

"Harmony came back." Ariel murmured softly, stroking Melody's black as night hair in an effort to try and control it. Melody pulled out of her mothers arms, her eyes wide and mouth open, as though Ariel had just said she was shipping the girl off to military school.

"Sh-she did? When?! Mother, why haven't you told me?! Is she alright?! Ohmygod, I have to see her! And I have to tell Coral, and, and—" Ariel's gentle laugh cut the girl off from her near panic attack.

"She just came back about an hour ago honey." Ariel's quiet voice said, a small smile on her lips. Harmony was back. Harmony was safe. Harmony was going to be alright. That thought alone could have made her dance around her room. "And she's alright, just exhausted from traveling in between worlds, that's all. She's sleeping."

"I can, go and see her though, right? Like, now?" Melody asked in an anxious voice. Ariel closed her eyes for a moment, trying to ward off the migraine that was starting in her mind for not sleeping in so long, before opening her eyes and letting them search the room. It was in a state of pure Harmony. Not, harmony, no, _Harmony_, the fourteen year old girl who's room was a mess, and no matter how many times she picked it up, it always seemed to go back to a mess.

"As you as you stay quiet and don't wake her up I don't really care." Ariel said honestly. Melody squealed in delight, hugging her mother for a moment, before she heard Ariel's next words. "_But_, you have to clean this room first, _and_ take a bath. And I want you at dinner with your father." Ariel said, in a clear voice that told her daughter not to argue with her. She was too exhausted for that.

"Dinner with dad? But, you're coming too, right?" Somehow, the thought of her mother not being at dinner with her troubled Melody. Her mother was so thin, and she had eyes that were bloodshot. Dark bags were underneath her eyes, and her face even looked a little…gaunt.

"Don't worry about me, my precious pearl. Just clean up this room, take a bath, an go to dinner with Eri—er, I mean, your father." Ariel quickly corrected herself on saying her husband's name. She knew Melody would probably just ask who Eric was, since she always called her father 'Dad'.

"Okay." Melody sighed, as Ariel gave her a wan, tired smile before kissing her forehead.

"I love you, my precious Melody." Ariel murmured, pressing another kiss on her daughter's forehead before getting up off the bed. Melody looked up at her mother with expectant eyes to say something, something Socrates-ish like Ariel always did.

But all Ariel did was walk out of Melody's room and into Harmony's.

* * *

**I'm grounded for lying so while my parents are out for the moment, i'm uploading these chapters up. Don't be mad at me if i'm not able to post up this weekend--be mad at my parents for grounding me. I'm also sorry if i'm not able to review--my phone has also been taken away so I can't really do anything but sneak around! Anyway, review and please understand! **


	88. What Can I Say?

"_Piercing words, eyes are red  
Watched the light in your eyes fading  
Empty heart filled with regret  
I know I was to blame  
_

Ariel would never get over that look of hurt that had passed over Harmony's face when she'd slapped her.

_And sorry that it's over  
And for the way I let it end  
So I said all I had to say  
In sobs and heartbroken tears_Harmony would never forgive her now, not after what she'd done to the girl.

_And you should know, please believe me  
I've tried to be a better mother to you  
But it's been so hard  
It's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way  
What can I say? _

'Sorry' was too little a word to cover what Ariel had done to her daughter.

_  
How did it come to this?  
I think about you all the time  
It's no excuse, but I wish  
That I never made you cry _

Everyday thoughts of her daughter crossed Ariel's mind…and everyday she saw that pained expression on her face when she slapped the girl.

_  
I hate to think all you had of me  
Is a memory I left you, pace between  
what was meant to be  
And the mess that it turned into_Harmony had come back to her real family…and look at what Ariel had done to her.

_And you should know, please believe me  
I love you, so, so dearly  
And tried to be a better mother but…  
It's never easy, it's like tryin' to spin the world the other way  
What can I say? When all I do is cause you pain?_

Ariel sighed hurtfully as her voice ended the sad song, and her fingers tucked a loose strand of red hair behind Harmony's ear. She'd purposely skipped dinner, vowing that until Harmony got better she refused to leave the girl's side. Gently, she pressed a cool cloth against the girl's forehead—just in case a fever broke out. Somehow, torturing herself by not leaving the girl's side, and not eating, took away some of her guilt. At least, a little that is.

Ariel was suddenly startled out of her reverie by the presence of a warm, familiar hand resting on her shoulder. Startled, she looked up to see…Eric. Sigh. And he didn't look too happy either.

"My love, it's late. Come to bed and rest a little; for your own health." Eric didn't feel the need to add that she had to also eat something before sleeping. She'd skipped dinner and lunch today—and Ariel had only nibbled on a biscuit for breakfast, at Eric's insistence.

"I'll be there in a few minutes Eric. Don't wait up just because of me." Ariel said in a low voice, setting the cool cloth on Harmony's warm forehead. Taking the thermometer off the nightstand, Ariel placed it into her daughter's mouth, worried that the girl may have a fever.

"Ariel, you know I know you better than to fall for that." Eric's soft voice said, cupping Ariel's face in his hand for a moment. She pulled it away after a second, her eyes falling back on Harmony and the thermometer in her mouth. "You can't very well spend the entire night with her Ariel. You'll fall from exhaustion." Eric's reason was awful to hear for Ariel, and yet, she only shook her head and sighed.

"I have to stay with her Eric. I know it's stupid, but I just need to stay with my…my baby." Ariel whispered, her hand tracing the lines of the child she'd created. Her baby, her wonderful little Harmony…the girl was so grown up…she couldn't leave her, not after what she'd done.

"Darling you've barely been getting enough sleep as it is. Just come to bed. Please Ariel?" Eric's soft pleading voice made Ariel close her eyes tightly, and try to ward off the word 'alright' from her vocabulary.

"I'm not going to go to bed while Harmony is…is finally here. She's going to hate me for all of eternity, yes I know, but…I still don't want to leave her while she's like this." Ariel said with a sigh, her hand brushing against Harmony's cheek. She heard Eric's annoyed sigh behind her then, and just for a moment, she turned around and looked at him.

"I don't know what you're thinking Ariel, but fine. Stay here all night long if you want but remember, we have work to do in the morning." Eric's annoyed voice said, with another heavy sigh. Ariel have him a tired, thankful look for not dragging her back to their room—at least, not yet.

"Goodnight." Ariel whispered to him; Eric only shook his head, sighed, and leaned down to catch his wife's lips in his. How on earth he married such a stubborn, headstrong woman and was still able to keep his wits about him, made his head spin right round.

" 'Night love." Eric murmured back, before managing to pry himself away from kissing Ariel further and heading off to bed.

* * *

**Song is 'What can I say' by Carrie Underwood. Also, as a litte contest, there is a popular song lyric inside this chapter--and it's not one of the song lyrics from the song 'What can I say' which I don't own. Find the song lyric that's hidden and you get a special prize! Also, reminder, don't be mad at me for not posting up this weekend. I'm grounded for lying to my parents. I told them I was going to the movies with a bunch of girlfriends, when in reality I was going on a date with this boy i really like. They found out that i was on a date, and so i'm grounded from now until the space time continum. Please understand that I only lied because I REALLY like this guy, and my parents are super old fashioned that they don't want to let me date until i'm 16! I had to do SOMETHING! Anyway, thanks for understanding if I can't review your stories much this weekened. I love Misunderstood Melodies, Mermaid Limmericks, and Ocean Star ALOt, and i'm super depressed that i won't be able to review them but please understand. THanks and review! **

**Also, remember you have to review and tell me what the song lyric is in this chapter!**


	89. It's Too Late to Apologize Or is It?

"Mhmmm?" A weak groan carried out across the room, as Ariel, who was slumped half asleep in a chair next to her daughter's bed, immediately sat straight up and turned to look at her daughter.

"Harmony!" Ariel's anxious voice said, as she watched the girl on the bed turn over as her eyelids slowly opened. Another groan escaped from the tired girl's lips, as she put a palm up to her eye and rubbed it tiredly.

"Mom?" Harmony's voice guessed with a tired yawn. Ariel couldn't help it; she let out a breath of relief as her hand traced her daughter's face. The woman herself hadn't slept in maybe two days—and the only time she'd actually left the girl's room was to change into another dress. Eric had been trying to get her to eat something that had protein in it—not just nibble on a biscuit—and trying to get her to rest a little. But Ariel couldn't. She couldn't eat; she couldn't sleep, not until Harmony was alright.

"Oh honey, I was so worried." Ariel's whispered voice said. She could already feel the tears starting to set in, just thinking about it. "Don't ever worry me like this again, do you understand? For five entire days I had no inkling if you were alright or not! I know Melody came back on Monday and she told me that you were in a coma and that you only alive because of a machine! And then you came back on Friday, but you've been asleep all weekend, and I've been so worried about you and, and, and—" Ariel was cut off by the fact she was out of breathe.

"You hit me." Harmony's soft voice finally said, as she managed to make herself sit up to look at her mother straight in the eyes. For once, after waking up, her memory wasn't fuzzy. She could remember everything that happened over the past week, perfectly.

"I'm sorry—I know that's grossly inadequate for the way I acted, and things I said. I was—am—a horrible mother. No, scratch that, I'm a horrible person. I've…said sorry to you so many times, and every time after, I hurt you again. The last time this happened…you barely forgave me. But I'm asking you for one chance. One more chance, please Harmony. That's all I want from you. Please, please, please honey. Please." Ariel whispered, feeling a few tears run down her face. Harmony stared at her for a moment, her face impassive to read.

"You're a bitch." Was all the girl said. Ariel hung her head in shame, as more tears welled up in her eyes and fell on the sheets of the girl's bed.

"I-I know." Ariel whispered, her voice hiccupping like a child who knew that they'd done something wrong, and was waiting for their punishment.

"I can't stay here and keep getting hurt." Harmony's voice finally said, in a flat tone, as her blue eyes stared hard at the woman who claimed to have given her life. Ariel's head lifted to look back at her daughter, and she wiped away her tears with the palm of her hand.

"You can't live on the streets Harmony." Ariel's reason said, as she tried hard not to cry. Never in her life had she imagined that she would have to have this conversation with her daughter one day.

"I didn't say I was going to live on the streets." Harmony's flat tone said again, her blue eyes looking over at her mother. "I meant I was going to go back to Nebraska…and I'll be a ward of the state, when I tell Social Services I've been beat. They'll probably put me in a group home—or maybe foster care, who knows? And I know for a fact I'll never be able to fit in anywhere, so I'll be moved from place to place until I'm eighteen, legally an adult, and I can get a job somewhere, rent out a crap shack of an apartment. And maybe, if I have any spare time from working, I'll be able to take some classes at community college." Harmony said, her voice taking on a new tone. It wasn't one of anger or sadness it was….wonderment. Wonderment in the sense that she had no idea how her life had gone from—well, not perfect, but as perfect as she'd ever gotten it to be—to now not even knowing where she was going to live tomorrow. Ariel sucked in a breath, struggling with her inner emotions not to cry.

"It sounds lik-like you've got your whole life planned out already." Ariel's voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, as she repressed the sobs in her throat from coming out. There was no need to alarm her…daughter. Or at least, the girl who used to be her daughter.

"My life was always going to turn out to be just another charity case. Fate always had that in store for me; it's time to just accept it." Harmony said with a shrug, hiding the real emotion in her voice. In truth, she was scared to death about being another charity case. She wanted to run into someone's arms—it didn't matter who—and be told that the past nine months had just been a complete nightmare, and it wasn't real.

"I-I guess this is good-goodbye then." Ariel said softly, wiping off the tears that fell down her face at a rapid rate. She was saying goodbye to a fourteen year old. All Harmony had ever wanted was someone who understood her and told her it would be alright….and neither Ariel, nor Melody, nor anyone in her family had ever done that for her.

"Yeah. I guess it is." Harmony said, awkwardly extending her hand to her mother. A sob came loose from Ariel's throat as she completely disregarded Harmony's formal hand shake and went straight for hugging the girl against her tightly…while crying.

"I-I'm an awful mo-mother…and pers-person. I-I hurt you—a lot…but-but…I al-always loved you. I-I loved you from the min-minute you open-opened your beau-beautiful eyes…and I-I'll lo-love you even af-after the da-day they clo-close for good. I'-I'm sorry I was-was never good to-to you. I-I'm sorry…I-I'm just so-so sor-sorry. I-I know it's too-too late to apologize…but-but I sti-still am." Ariel whispered, hugging her daughter tightly and sobbing at the same time.

Harmony…was just there. She didn't know whether to cry or hug her mother back…and she also didn't know whether to stay or not. If she stayed, she would have a mother who constantly hurt her—but claimed that she loved her still and would try to make it up. If she left…her entire life would just be a manila folder, and she'd live a life of unknowing what would happen next. What path should she choose?

"Can you give me some time to like alone to like, clear my head? I need to…think about…all of this. " Harmony finally said, wrenching herself free of her mother's arms. She'd done this before, the first time they'd locked her in a dungeon. Now she needed to do it again…but this time, it was for something worse.

"Ye-yes. O-okay. That sounds fin-fine." Ariel whispered, sniffling back her sobs. Harmony looked pointedly at the door of her room, and Ariel obliged by walking to the door. But, when she took one look back at Harmony, she felt her heart break again because….

Harmony wasn't there anymore.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm not sure if i'm still grounded or not--hopefully not, but anyway...**

**This was a really hard chapter to write. I don't know why, but it just was. The next chapter is going to come possibly tonight...hopefully. You know i'm such a lazy person! Anyway, review! OOH! ANd I almost forgot! **

***Special Mentions*!!**

**Special Mention to Hailstorm for finding the song lyrics in the last chapter! She correctly guessed that it was 'spin right round' from the song 'right round'! You know, the popular song 'You spin my head right round, right round, when you go down, when you go down down....so good job! **

**Also, it's raining like ALOT here in miami. Is it snowing up north for the reviewers who live up north? Tell me, i'd love to know! All week in Miami we've had like 85 degree days, but for some reason all last night and all day today it's just been raining like cats and dogs! **


	90. Two Roads Diverged In Yellow Wood

"_I'm holding on your rope,  
Got me ten feet off the ground  
I'm hearin what you say but I just can't make a sound  
You tell me that you need me  
Then you go and cut me down, but wait  
You tell me that you're sorry  
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say..._

_It's too late to apologize, it's too late  
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late_

_I'd take another chance, take a fall  
Take a shot for you  
And I need you like a heart needs a beat  
But it's nothin new  
I loved you with a fire red-  
Now it's turning blue, and you say...  
"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you  
But I'm afraid..._

_I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late  
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah-  
I'm holdin on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground..."_

Harmony sighed softly, her song getting lost in the wind. She floated on her back in the air, far above the sleepy town of Amherst at dusk. Her red hair floated out beautifully, and her jeans and light jacket made her feel almost normal—besides the fact that she was floating hundreds of feet in the air, and letting the wind push her along the twilight sky.

Which road did she take? Robert Frost had it easy, he'd said that he'd taken the road less traveled by…but the road less traveled by for Harmony was the road she was most unsure of. Robert Frost had said that because he took that road, it had made all the difference…but would it really make all the difference for Harmony? He'd said in the poem that road he took was full of underburhs and wasn't very pretty and had barely been traveled on….so did that mean he took the hard road out? But…why would he take the hard road? What was his consolation prize at the end for taking that hardroad?

"This sucks." Harmony said softly to herself in a bitter voice, before swooping down and landing gracefully on her two feet, onto the plot where her brother was buried. His tombstone was still in good condition, despite the slush all around it from the now muddy snow that was quickly fading away from the spring season.

Quietly in the dusk, creepily foggy graveyard, the girl sat criss cross applesauce on the slush, just staring at his tombstone. She didn't utter a sound for a full ten minutes. Nor did a thought escape the barrier she'd put up as she just stared at the stone. After about ten minutes though, it proved to be too much silence and Harmony finally began to speak.

"Ryan, you've gotta help me. I mean….what do I do? Do I tell Ariel that I still want to be her daughter, and live with the pain…or do I just be a ward of the state, and become a manila-folder-kid?" Harmony asked finally, her blue eyes wondering as she stared at the silent tombstone. In the movies, something happens and the main character gets a sign from the tombstone. That's not what it's like in real life though.

"I guess I'm now crazy. I'm talking to a tombstone." Harmony sighed, shaking her head. "I just wish you were still here, big brother. I wish I could talk to you, and ask you what I should do." Harmony sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears, out of habit. Shaking her head again, Harmony's fingers played with the slush absent mindedly, before a thought went through her mind.

"You remember that Robert Frost poem, _The Road Not Taken_, right?" Harmony asked, a new, random subject change from the one she'd had before. "I think you do. Remember, it's the poem where he's talking about how there's these two roads, and one of the roads is really pretty, with like, flowers, green grass; you know, stuff like that. And then the other road is full of undergrowth, and it's not as pretty as the first road because it's been traveled on a lot, unlike the other road which has barely been traveled on. And in the end, he says he took the road with the underbrush and that's what made all the difference. You remember now, right?" Harmony asked anxiously, not caring if she was talking to a tombstone as she continued on.

"Well…that's kind of what it's like for me. The road less traveled by is to just be a ward of the state…but the road traveled on a lot is forgiving Ariel and trying to live with my life again. Do I take the easy road out, or do I take the hard road in?" Harmony mused, a frown on her features as she thought about this very hard.

"You always told me when I said I couldn't do something to never let the fear of striking out keep me from playing the game…but, baseball isn't the game here. The game I'm talking about here is my life. So…do I step up to home plate and take a swing in the hopes I'll get a home run…or do I just bunt the ball and hopefully make it to first base without being tagged out?" Harmony stared a moment at Ryan's black marble grave, before slowly nodding her head, as if hearing and understanding what he was saying—though he wasn't saying a thing aloud.

"I think…I'll try for the home run." Harmony said, a slow smile working onto her face. It was hard to hit a homerun, and it would be a hard road…but she could do it. She was a tough girl. She was realistic, but at the same time, a dreamer. Well, more than anything a day dreamer. About, 747% daydreamer than realist. So that would techinally make her...Daydreamer747, who won the title contest, but enough about that. Harmony shook her head, as if relinquisihing those thoughts from her mind and returning back to her orginal thoughts.

Standing up and brushing off the slush on her jeans, Harmony was about to close her eyes and mutter a few words to get her back to the palace…when she turned around, and looked once more at Ryan's marble head stone.

"Thanks Ryan." Harmony whispered, before uttering a few words, and once again coming…._home_.

* * *

**OOH! She chose to go back to the palace! But, when she gets back, somethings may not be exactly the same as they were when she left....review and you'll find out what! **

**I"M NOT GROUNDED ANYMORE! YIPPEE! I knew my parents couldn't make me stay grounded! THey always do that, you know. They say i'm grounded for like, a month, and then two days later i'm off the hook--excuse the pun--it's so great! :)**

**So...the song used here is 'Apologize' by Timbaland Ft. One Republic. I don't own anything, sadly. But this song was topping the charts awhile back, and then i just rememberd it and felt it was perfect! Oh, and people, I have very big news. The 'Title For My Next Story' contest is officially begining now. Most of you should know how to play, but let me just skim over the rules. **

**1. The story title can't use anything like 'broken' or 'silent' or something that has already been used in a title before, okay? I want originality. **

**2. *spoiler* The story is going to be about Harmony falling in love with a certain prince...but, will old memories, and new ideas, force her to lose her new love? *spoiler***

**3. All titles ideas MUST BE SUBMITTED BY REVIEWS. **

**4. Winner gets same prize as last year, name mentioned in story, name mentioned in special mentions, and they get to decide the context for one or two chapters. And that means if for example, they want dragons to randomly appear in the story, I will make dragons appear in the story. Also, character will either think or mention that persons name (obviously when I say name, I mean like, fanfiction screename)**

**5. HAVE FREAKING FUN AND WIN!!! **

**Also...REVIEW THIS CHAPTER AND MISUNDERSTSOOD MELODIES (the story) and THE STORY OCEAN HEART BECAUSE THEY ALL ROCK! BUT MOSTLY REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!**


	91. Tears of Pain, Tears of Joy

While Harmony was trying to figure out what road she should take, Ariel's thoughts were a lot clearer. Harmony was going to leave. She just knew it. Harmony would leave and break her heart and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Harmony was going to leave her. She was going to leave and it was Ariel's fault. If only she'd been a better mother! If only she hadn't hurt the girl so much! If only she could have been there for her! But now, Harmony was going to leave and it was all her fault.

"Oh. Ow." Ariel said, wincing deeply as she felt a stabbing pain reach her heart. Managing to stumble out of the hallway her daughters rooms were in, she didn't even give her servants who were giving her strange glances second thoughts. She was trying to focus on making it to Eric, she had to make it to Eric, she had to make it to Eric, she had to…why was the world suddenly spinning?

Everything, at least to Ariel, was suddenly spinning round and round. She clutched at her stomach tightly, suddenly feeling the lack of food inside of it. Her eyes became unfocused, and voices that she could hear calling to her were so faraway…so, so faraway…

Without a word, a sound, or even a motion, Ariel completely collapsed in an unconscious heap on the floor.

"…rests a lot." A soft, murmured voice and the quiet closing of a door is what Ariel woke up to. She was in a complete daze, not understanding at first what had happened. Hadn't she just been walking? And then she fell…but what happened after that? The girl tried to push past in her mind to find out…but she wasn't getting anywhere. It was like a wall that she couldn't push past in her mind that was blocking her.

Slowly, Ariel's blearily opened her eyes and let them trace the contours of her room. Her eyes went through her vanity, the heavy curtains, Eric, the beautifully made French double doors that led to her room—wait, _Eric_. Ariel's weary eyes switched back to her husband who was rubbing his temples with two fingers on each side and sighing heavily. Without warning, his blue eyes opened and he found himself staring right at his now awake wife.

"Ariel! Oh thank god!" Eric's voice said, as he crossed the length of his room to his wife in nearly two giant strides. He leaned down and caught her lips in an anxious kiss that Ariel weakly returned.  
"What happened? Did I fall?" Ariel wondered, trying to sit up on her elbow. In one smooth move Eric had her head once again to the pillow, and she gave him a shrewd gaze for that, which of course made him chuckle….before his face clouded over with fear and a hint of a grimace.

"More like collapsed, my love. But the doctor says you'll be fine, thankfully." Eric murmured, his rough fingers stroking Ariel's smooth cheek. His wife looked up at him a moment, a sleepy smile on her lips as she tried to sit up again.

"If the doctor says I'll be fine, than stop trying to make me sleep Eric. Besides, I only fainted because I was…just talking to Harmony." The sound of her daughter's name on her lips immediately made Ariel's throat close up as memories swarmed back to her. She was gone. Her baby, her Harmony…she was never going to come back. It was all her fault. She'd done this. It was all her fault Harmony was now going to never come back.

"You collapsed Ariel, not fainted." Eric corrected immediately. "And it's you collapsed, according to Doctor Greenwald, because you hadn't eaten in at least two days straight, you were dehydrated, you haven't actually slept through the night in the past week—in the past two days you haven't slept at all—_an_d, what's intriguing is the fact he said that you have fresh 'cuts' all along your arms." Eric finished, his penetrating gaze focused entirely on his wife's blue eyes. Ariel bit her lip as she looked down at her thumbs, twiddling them so she didn't have to meet Eric's blue eyes and fess up to what she'd been doing.

"Ariel, talk to me." It wasn't a request, and Ariel knew that by ignoring his voice she'd only land herself deeper in trouble. Almost wincing, Ariel finally looked up at her husband. He looked…relatively calm. But, if you pushed past that façade you could see his eyes steaming with anger.

"Har-Harmony is going to go back to Nebraska and she'll always be moved from place to place because she'll never feel at home anywhere until she's 18 and then she'll live in a rundown apartment—which I think is like a studio, only a little bigger—and work a lot to make ends meet and she'll want to be smart and try to go to university, but she won't have enough time and she'll work herself to death and it's all my fault and I'm a terrible mother and I was so scared—am scared—and it just hurts so much so I cut myself, even though I know it's wrong but I can't help it because I just miss her so much, and she doesn't even think of me as her mother—or anything to her anymore and I'm a worthless excuse of a person because I can't even control my own daughter and it's just so frustrating, and stressing, and amazingly confusing and cruel all at the same time!" Ariel finally stopped talking extremely fast as she started sobbing instead.

Eric was silent for a moment, as Ariel's sobs are all that filled their room. He sucked in a breath at the information Ariel had just given him, before sighing and shaking his head. Gently, he cupped Ariel's face in his hands.

"Darling…whatever happens to Harmony…well, she's more mature than a normal fourteen year old girl. Her entire life she's been dreaming of a family who loves her. And…in her mind, she believes that she doesn't deserve one. And who could blame her? After all we've put her through…I don't want her to leave us either Ariel…but this is her decision, not ours. We can't tell her what to do…even though she's fourteen, her maturity level must be at least eighteen or nineteen. It's awful to know that…she'll leave…and have a hard life…but it's not like we could stop her from choosing." Eric's voice said, a grimace on his still handsome features. Ariel gave a sigh, and wiped off her tears with the sleeve of her nightgown, not caring if it was childish or not.

"I guess so." Ariel sniffled, wiping off the last of her tears away from her face. Before Eric could answer, or tell her to lie back down because she was still on restricted bed rest for the next week, their room door creaked open.

Harmony stood at the doorway, looking amazingly uncomfortable. Ever since she was young her parents' room had always been something of awe and intrigue for her. She hardly went into it, of course, because what if they found her inside and they thought she was snooping? Then she'd have to stay home from school because of her bruises. But still, the 'parents room' was always like the teachers lounge…mysterious, if not a bit creepy.

"Um…Melody said you guys would be, like, in here." Harmony said awkwardly, fidgeting with a loose string on her jacket so she didn't have to look up at her parents, who seemed to be genuinely shocked to see her standing there.

"Remember, you made me do this." A voice sounded from Harmony with a smirk, as Harmony's backside was suddenly kicked with enough force that sent her into her parent's room, and out of the doorway. Quickly standing up as the door closed behind her, the girl looked back, half expecting for a moment that Ryan would be there, standing tall with a huge smirk on his face. It wasn't him though. No, it was Melody.

"That's my line kid, not yours." Harmony said to the girl, as Melody just laughed and walked easily into their parent's room, because, hell, she'd been doing it since she was a child.

"Har-Harmony?" Ariel's voice was about three octaves higher than it would normally be, thanks to how surprised and shocked she was to see the girl awkwardly standing in the room. The woman thought she caught an envious twinkle in Harmony's eye as she looked at Melody who was sitting next to her mother on the bed with no shoes on and completely not awkward. Though, if there was an envious twinkle in Harmony's eye, it was gone in a flash.

"So um…yeah…like…I was going to like…uh…tell you stuff." Harmony's face was beet red as she stared at her old converse. "I forgive you…and I'm staying here, 'k? So…like…yeah. Bye." The girl said the last word quickly, as she turned on her heel and almost made it out the door of her parent's room when a voice stopped her.

"Wait, Harmony, come here." It was Eric's voice that called out to the girl, and made her stop halfway out the door. Dang it. Slowly turning around, the girl walked with her head down, focused on her converse, until she reached the very corner of her parents bed. Her face was as red as her hair, which was pulled back in two long braids.

"Come here, my darling little tune. I won't hurt you." Ariel's soothing voice said, her hand patting the empty spot in the middle of the bed, and also next to her for Harmony to sit on. The girl complied, but only halfway. She sat on the edge of her parent's bed, shooting meaningful glances at the doors, in case she wanted to escape.

"Baby…we've all done things to you we'll regret forever. But we're still your family, and we love you, every part of you." Ariel's soft voice cleared up for Harmony, as the girl, startled, looked up at the woman with her same azure, electric blue eyes.

"Even if I'm a witch? And I've made out with more boys than I can count in the woods? Or what about the fact I still cut myself—yeah, I never really quit cutting, I only let you think I did—_and_ smoke? And what about the teensy little fact I usually wake up screaming into my pillow from my nightmares? Or that I've killed two people—Amaranth and Morgana, and almost killed Alec? And you still want me around, even though I can't be tutored at the palace? Or that I've gotten drunk before? Or that I've tried to kill myself? Or how about the fact that I'm never going to be a good 'princess' or normal?" Harmony questioned slowly, a bit bitter actually if you listened very hard.

"We still love you." Eric answered sincerely to his daughter, who gave him a wary, almost disbelieving look. "Though, I do want you to know that your not allowed to date until _after _your married." Eric stated, as Ariel hid her giggles by hiding her face in Melody's dark hair.

"So let me get this straight. You still want me around, even though I could very well destroy the entire earth or myself without a second thought?" Harmony wondered, as Ariel gave her a gentle smile. Though, it wasn't Ariel who answered.

" 'Course we do." Melody answered, not noticing how her mother winced at her saying 'course' instead of 'of course'.

"We're your family sweetheart. We'll _always_ love you." Ariel said with full sincerity dripping off of her voice. She expected Harmony to shoot her a bitter glance and say something about how Ariel was such a hypocrite. That's not what happened though. Harmony was next to her mother in a moment, burying her face in Ariel's arms so no one could see her tears of…

Joy.

* * *

**Yeah, family fun. Only one more chapter left to go, and then I'm finished, yayyyy. Sorry, I can't be more excited. It's 12:30 and I'm exhausted. Not used to staying up this late anymore! I look back on my authors notes from like the story Broken Waltz, Sketching Arpeggio's, and Just a Sonata Away and I'm like 'how the hell did I stay up until 3 in the morning! I can barely stay awake at twelve! Anyway, review this chapter and remember, the title contest is still on. Thanks for the titles so far, their pretty good. Think of as many titles as you possibly can so maybe I'll pick you! **

**The rules of the title contest are on the last chapter. I'm to tired to explain them all on this one. So, just click the arrow backwards and read the rules. **

**Review! And dnt forget about the title contest! **


	92. Demented Normality

"Your father and I still don't understand something about you, my darling. I guess now would be a more appropriate time to get it off my chest." Ariel said with a tiny, self conscious chuckle. Harmony's eyes drowsily opened and looked up at her mother and father tired wondering inside of them. Melody had been sent away to take a bath and get to bed about five minutes ago…but Ariel and Eric had both asked Harmony to stay for just a little longer. And it wasn't like Harmony was complaining. Her mother's warm, safe, loving arms were completely comfortable.

"What?" Harmony exhaustedly questioned, as Ariel ran her fingers through the girl's thick red hair.

"If your adopted parents were so…_cruel _towards you…why were you so eager to get back to them, instead of staying here in the palace? And why…did you take the news of their divorce so…difficult to comprehend?" Eric asked in a clearly confused tone to his daughter, asking the question both he and his wife were thinking of. Harmony sat up quickly, her heart beating like a rocket inside her chest at the mere mention of those old memories. Turning herself around to face her mother and father, she slowly answered as best she could, though in truth she was scared to death.

"As bad as…they were…they were still my parents, you know? I mean…I couldn't just…stay here. It felt…_weird_. I mean…everything I'd ever known was back in Nebraska…as demented as my family was…I _had_ to get back. That was normal to me. That was like…the thing in my life that would never change. I needed some sense of normality back in my life." Harmony said with a bitter, off laugh that had a little pain etched into it. "When they got divorced…it was like, my one chance at normal—screwed up normal—was done. And it was all because once again, me, the master of failure, had failed again." Harmony felt herself close to tears, but she pushed them away. She'd cried enough today, she didn't need to do it anymore.

"Who ever said you were a failure?" Ariel's soft, gentle voice asked, her hand reaching out to her daughter. Harmony flinched, a reflex reaction after so many years, before sighing and closing her eyes tightly.

"It's not that anyone said it exactly; I figured it out." Harmony's voice was quiet, the kind of quiet that took years of hardship to perfect. "I mean, just _look_ at me. Half my scars are from life threatening accidents that I barely survived. If that's not bad enough, I'm a freaken witch who can destroy the world, and yet I'm afraid of failure, even though I am one, my life is headed towards drug and alcohol rehab while being put on suicide watch—" Harmony cut off abruptly, as she put both the palms of her hands over her eyes to stop the sudden flow of tears that threaten to escape. In a moment, Harmony found herself from trying to stop crying, to having her face buried into her mother's chest as Ariel stroked her hair and crooned a soft tune to the girl to soothe her tears.

"Harmony, you are not a failure. Don't put yourself down so." Eric's voice said gently, but it only made Harmony cry harder, to which he grimaced and he shot a pleading glance at his wife to make it better. He loved his daughters…but when it came to the crying, well, it was better to let Ariel handle that.

"Sweetheart, there is no possible way after all you've been through, that you could be a failure. You try so hard at everything you do, and even though life isn't always kind to you, you somehow always manage to bounce back. Honey, your definitely not a failure. Because, if you were, then I wouldn't be so proud of you." Ariel's voice murmured, her hand stroking through Harmony's red hair as the girl started to become drowsy again. Her tears subsided after Ariel's comforting words, and soon, she was fast asleep, curled up like a toddler in her mother's arms.

* * *

**I realized that it probably didn't make sense why Harmony would be so depressed about leaving Nebraska and her family, or when she found out they were getting a divorce, when all they did was beat her. So, I wrote this little chapter to explain all that. Hope I did it right! **

**TITLE CONTEST IS STILL ON! REVIEW! **


	93. Silent Duet

Harmony awoke, somehow in a nightgown and back in her own room, at exactly seven, thanks to her phone alarm clock. Yawning, she managed to pull her zombie rear out of bed and got dressed. By seven thirty, she was a bit more awake as she wrote out a quick note to her parents explaining where she'd be—and what time they could expect her to be back home at. By seven forty-five (she also had to forge out in Janice's handwriting an excuse as to why she'd missed so much school—though she was sure the entire town knew why) she left to get to school.

Walking through the familiar hallways, Harmony didn't blink twice as she passed Lucas, who was leaning against his locker and talking to some girl. His nose was still in a puffed up swollen cast from when Harmony had broken it. But what was really interesting was the black eye on his face that seemed to be only a few minutes fresh as it was still forming.

Finally, the girl made it to the one spot she'd been headed, at seven fifty. A girl, about her size with wavy dirty blonde hair that reached only to her shoulders was standing at her locker next to Harmony. The girl had her face inside the locker and was most likely sleeping while standing up. With a big grin and mischievous eyes, Harmony leaned in close to the girl, her hand above the girl's head.

"_Splancscái_---" Harmony didn't get to send a small, towering wave onto her friend, as it was that exact moment that her arm was grasped tightly, and she was dragged into the locker.

"Did you _really_ think I didn't notice a small wave over my head?" Emma asked with a grin, before pulling Harmony's face out of the locker and looking the girl up to down for a moment in mock studying. "Hmm...well, for a child who just escaped from the hospital two days ago after being in a coma for five days, you look relatively freakish. Then again, you always look freakish 'cuz you're a freaking witch!" Emma said in an overly loud tone, making Harmony burst out in peals of pure, genuine, laughter.

"You know, honestly doesn't always go hand in hand with virtue." Harmony stated, keeping the giggles out of her tone, but just barely.

"What the hell is virtue?" Emma questioned in a demanding tone, which immediately made Harmony laugh.

"Does it look like I pay attention in English class? How the hell would I know!"

"Aren't princesses supposed to be, like, all prim and proper and know perfect language?" Emma asked with a teasing grin to Harmony's sour look.

"No, that's just Melody." It was silent for a moment between the two girls, before they both looked at each other and both broke out into laughter. It was like nothing had happened to them, either of them in the past week. It was just like…normal. Where they teased each other until one of them mock shunned the other as though they were still five. And, in the distance, both girls' could hear a song softly playing.

"_We don't have to try  
To think the same thoughts  
We just have a way  
Of knowing everything's gonna be ok_"Thanks for…you know, saving my butt when I went…a little…" Harmony had difficulty finishing the sentence with 'suicidal'. Thankfully, Emma had more colorful adjectives at her disposal.

"Nuts? Stupid? Contarded? Demented? Weird? Suicide-watch-y? Susie?" Emma filled in, as both girls started laughing at the mention of Emma's younger sister's name.

_We'll laugh 'til we cry  
Read each others minds  
Live with a smile  
Make it all worthwhile  
Make it all worthwhile_

"Yeah. When I went like that. I didn't realize…how much living I still had to do at the time." Harmony said in a quiet tone, with a small sigh at the end. Emma looped her arm through Harmony's as the bell rang and both girls walked towards homeroom.

"That's why, moi, saved your sorry ass. Though, I think the doctor might have made a mistake. I told him you needed plastic surgery, pronto. I think he might have just stitched up your cut though." Emma said with a fake, thinking expression. Harmony laughed out loud with Emma right beside her, laughing just the same as both girls walked with linked arms towards homeroom.

_Life has moments hard to describe  
Feeling great and feeling alive  
Never coming down from this  
Mountain we're on_"Don't make me angry. You won't like it when I'm angry." Harmony warned her sister, trying hard to repress the grin in her face. It didn't work, as she broke out into a full grin only a second later.

"So what, now you're the Hulk? Well, if you're the Hulk, I'll be the Hulk's girlfriend, you know, the pretty, smart girl who makes sure the Hulk doesn't kill himself?" Emma laughed, with Harmony laughing just as loudly, and not giving a damn if anyone heard and turned their heads.

_Always knowing we're gonna be fine  
Feeling great and feeling alive  
Never coming down from this  
Mountain were on  
The feeling so clear  
And it's crazy up here  
Life is amazing with you on the ride_"Hey Em?" Harmony asked, in full seriousness now as the girl's stopped in front of their homeroom door, a little to the side so others could pass.

"Yeah?" Emma asked, more serious now too.

"Thanks…for…being my sister." Harmony said, trying, with difficulty, not to choke up and cry.

"No way Kat, thank _you_ for being _my _sister." Emma answered, as both girls smiled at each other and laughed a little, before entering their homeroom class.

_No time to be lazy  
The journey is perfect  
The pace is so crazy  
The race is so worth it  
I will be with you  
We'll do this together  
Always together_"Em? Do you hear that song?" Harmony asked her sister quickly, just before slipping into her customary seat across from her friend. Emma thought a minute, before slowly nodding.

"Yeah, actually, I do." Emma said with furrowed brows, looking around the room. No iPods were out, no kids were trying to sing, it was just a babble of voices all around the girls. "But…Idk if anyone else hears it."

"I know, it's weird." Harmony answered, her red brows furrowed together as she looked at her friend with a thoughtful expression. "You know, it sounds almost like a…like a…" Harmony paused a moment, trying to get the right words before they formed on her mouth and she smiled a little.

"Silent Duet."

* * *

**Wow. It's finally over. I'm just...in a state of shock...and also, relief. WHy relief? Because I've been dying to start on the sequel, but I only got so far as to the first chapter of it, because i still had to finish Silent Duet. Well, now that's done! Warning: THe sequel will be the final sequel. I'll probably do a prequel, but no more sequels. Sorry :( OH, and the sequel will be shorter than this story. I realize now that I wrote alot of things into this story that I really shouldn't have because it made it way to long. Well, what's done is done. And Silent Duet, is done! **

**A reminder: The Title contest is STILL GOING ON! Please be creative people! I love the titles so far! You can put as many titles that you want me to choose from inside of your review; there's no limit on that. Be creative and have fun with it! **

**I'll probably post the first chapter of the new story of Harmony tomorrow night--that is, if I get alot of reviews, AND titles. For all of you who are just dying to know what happens, i'll give you a little spoiler alert. **

***Harmony is now seventeen, and in her senior year of high school. When forced to go to Westland with her family and stay for an entire week just because Melody is about to give birth to her first child any day, Harmony thinks during the carriage ride over to the Westland palace that she'll find a nice apple tree in the gardens and see if she can hang herself because she'll be so bored. Upon arriving at the palace though, when the younger prince of Westland bows to her and calls her 'princess', and Harmony states 'My name is Harmony. Not princess, not your highness. Harmony.' That one line takes her on a whirlwind of a romance. But, when Harmony finds and old letter from Ryan, adressed to her two days after valentine's day of that fateful year he died, Harmony must choose between her past, and her present. And neither seem like very good options right now....* **

**So big spoiler for all of you! Review, and tell me how much you liked or hated this story. Constructive critisism is always welcome. :)**

**Oh, and the song was by Aly and AJ *ew!* called 'On the Ride'. I don't, thankfully own them. And I certainly don't own the song :)**

**ps. My family got our christmas tree today! Oh, and while my Dad was up in the attic, taking down all the old Christmas things (our attic isn't like one of those attics that you can put a couch in, or like, have some fun in. No, our attic is annoying. And cold. And so high you need to get a ladder to reach it.) I climbed up the ladder and went up too! I found all my old toys, like, Scooter Shanon, games like Catnip, and, of course, my ever wonderous, bestest friend from when I was in the nursery, BARNEY! I know, I freaked out! So now, our house smells like pine because of the really pretty tree, and it has all the stockings and christmas village set out! ANd the nutcracker men all stand tall and proud at the bottom of the tree, knowing that at a moment's notice, they will have to protect ME! **

**Review and do the title contest! **


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